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BV   1533    .B8    1905 
Brumbaugh,  Martin  Grove, 

1862-1930. 
The  making  of  a  teacher 


THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 


THE  MAKING 
of  a  TEACHER 


A  CONTRIBUTION  TO    SOME    PHASES    OF 
THE  PROBLEM  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 


V/  BY 

Martin  G.  Brumbaugh,  Ph.D.,  LL.D 

Professor  of  Pedagogy  in  the 
University  of    Pennsylvania 


{FOURTH  EDITION) 


PHILADELPHIA 

THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  TIMES  COMPANY 
1905 


Copyright,  1905,  by  The  Sunday  School  Times  Company. 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London,  1905. 
Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Parliament  of  Canada, 

IN  THE  YEAR  1905,  BY  ThE   SuNDAY  SCHOOL  TiMES 

Company  at  the  Department 
OF  Agriculture. 

Kachdkuck  verboten,  Uebbrsetzungsrecht  vorbehaltem. 

All  rights  reserved. 


INTRODUCTION, 

The  opening  chapter  of  Genesis  is  a  record  of 
transcendent  things.  It  reveals  God  at  work.  He 
is  recorded  as  creating  the  physical  universe  and 
all  the  life  that  subsists  upon  it.  Among  the  in- 
teresting phrases  descriptive  of  his  activity,  none 
is  of  greater  moment  than  the  phrase — "  Let  us 
make  man."  So  far  as  we  know,  this  proposition 
involved  the  production^  out  of  crude  material, 
of  a  wholly  new  creature.  Man  is  a  new  creation, 
not  a  new  combination.  In  a  vastly  more  re- 
stricted sense,  but  in  harmony  with  the  same  cen- 
tral idea,  it  has  seemed  to  me  wise  to  name  this 
volume — "  The  Making  of  a  Teacher,"  instead 
of  "  The  Training  of  a  Teacher."  The  training 
of  a  teacher  assumes  that  we  have  the  teacher 
at  the  beginning  of  the  process  and  that  our  work 
is  to  modify  something  already  provided.  This 
does  not  describe  accurately  the  process  by  which 
we  are  to  secure  teachers.  A  teacher  is  some- 
thing different  from  a  man.  To  make  a  teacher 
involves  a  new  creation  out  of  the  raw  materials 
which  constitute  humanity  at  large.  We  must 
create  a  new  product.  This  new  product  is  the 
teacher.  The  teacher  is  more  than  a  man  trained 
to  be  a  different  kind  of  a  man.     He  is  a  new 


VI  INTRODUCTION 

product,  the  result  of  making  over  again  in  a 
new  order  and  with  additional  elements  the  primi- 
tive material  which  God  has  placed  fundamentally 
in  every  human  .being.  To  the  extent  that  we 
comprehend  the  vast  difference  between  what 
we  are  by  native  endowment  and  what  we  become 
by  specific  training  will  we  understand  the  signi- 
ficance of  the  problem  with  which  we  have  to  do. 
Education  is  more  than  a  transforming  process, 
it  is  a  creative  process.  By  it  we  become 
a  new  creature.  Our  problem  then  would  seem 
to  be,  in  its  broad  aspects,  a  study  of  what  our 
native  common  endowments  are,  and  a  study  of 
what  educational  processes  at  work  upon  this  na- 
tive material  may  produce.  The  emphasis  of 
study  should  rest  upon  the  second  of  these  propo- 
sitions. At  the  outset  we  shall  believe  in  the 
creative  value  of  education.  We  are  warranted 
both  by  experience  and  by  study  in  believing  that 
education  is  a  far-reaching  and  momentous  influ- 
ence. To  be  a  man,  man  must  be  educated.  To 
be  a  teacher,  man  must  be  made  over  again  into 
a  new  agency.  No  fixed  and  rigid  laws  can  de- 
termine what  this  making  over  implies,  since  the 
teacher  must  from  time  to  time  be  made  into  an 
agency  adequate  to  the  needs  of  a  changing  and 
growing  Christian  civilization.  The  accepted 
teacher  of  yesterday  is  by  no  means  the  accepted 
teacher  of  to-morrow.    We  shall  understand  our 


INTRODUCTION  VU 

problem  best  as  we  attach  increased  significance 
to  the  function  of  the  teacher  in  civiHzation  and  as 
we  interpret  our  standards  of  efficiency  in  the 
Hght  of  to-morrow. 

Teaching  is  always  prophetic.  It  aims  to  de- 
scribe the  needs  of  the  future,  and  to  equip  the 
childhood  of  the  present  for  the  mature  life  that 
is  to  be.  Teaching  must  always  proceed  on  the  as- 
sumption that  its  test  is  to  be  found  not  in  the  im- 
mediate product  which  it  sends  out  from  the  class 
room,  but  in  the  wider  circles  of  influence  which 
it  will  exert  on  the  days  and  the  activities  that 
are  to  be.  A  wise  teacher  concerns  himself  pri- 
marily with  the  task  of  equipping-  human  souls 
for  life's  service.  It  lays  the  emphasis  of  its 
concern  not  upon  the  scraps  of  knowledge  which 
it  gives  from  day  to  day,  but  upon  the  fiber  of 
character  which  it  builds  for  all  the  years  to 
come. 

The  Sunday-school  is  not  an  organization  pri- 
►  marily  to  acquaint  children  with  biblical  facts, 
but  to  set  the  currents  of  the  soul  in  the  chan- 
nels of  truth,  that  they  may  flow  out  into  wider 
and  wider  reaches  of  power  and  steadier  and 
steadier  sweeps  of  influence.  It  would  indeed 
be  a  thankless  task  if,  as  a  result  of  our  teaching, 
the  stream  were  to  become  more  narrow,  more  un- 
stable as  it  approaches  the  years  of  maturity,  and 
be  lost  in  the   sands  and  the   swamps  and  the 


Vlll  INTRODUCTION 

desert  places.  Life  must  be  guided  into  ever 
widening  and  deepening  channels,  and  the  initial 
impulses  that  are  given  to  it  by  the  teacher  must 
persist  until  it  flows  at  last  into  the  great  all- 
embracing  life  that  is  hid  with  God. 

This  volume  does  not  aim  to  present  an  ex- 
haustive analysis  of  the  factors  involved  in  the 
making  of  a  teacher.  It  does,  however,  under- 
take to  lay  before  the  minds  of  sincere  students 
many  of  the  cardinal  guidances  to  that  end.  In 
the  light  of  our  needs  to-day,  it  presents  what 
seem  to  be  the  most  needed  elements  of  guid- 
ance. 

The  title  of  the  volume  is  to  be  interpreted  m 
a  restricted  sense.  Primarily  the  book  is  intended 
for  Sunday-school  teachers ;  they  need  and  should 
have  all  the  assistance  and  guidance  that  ex- 
perience and  study  can  provide.  No  logical  or- 
ganization of  the  entire  problem  of  the  making 
of  a  teacher  has  been  undertaken.  There  are  many 
phases  of  the  whole  problem  which  would  not 
be  at  this  stage  of  our  development  of  sufficient 
moment  to  teachers  to  warrant  one  in  present- 
ing them.  Only  those  aspects  of  the  problem 
which  seem  to  be  paramount  in  the  line  of  our 
present  conditions  are  here  considered.  If  any 
teacher  is  prepared  for  a  more  extended  and  de- 
tailed study  of  the  educational  laws  underlying 
the  processes  of  teaching,  the  author  would  com- 


INTRODUCTION  Ix 

mend  to  him  the  standard  treatises  on  education 
which  may  be  obtained  anywhere.  The  purpose 
iicre  has  been  to  vitaHze  certain  educational  prin- 
ciples, to  push  their  application  home  to  the 
conscience,  and,  if  possible,  to  inspire  in  the  heart 
of  the  teacher  a  great  desire  to  make  the  most 
of  the  vital  opportunities  that  are  his.  The 
teacher  of  a  secular  school  will  find  here  the 
same  underlying  guidance  needed  by  him  in  his 
work.  The  volume,  therefore,  will  be  of  service 
to  any  teacher  who  earnestly  desires  to  accom- 
plish the  best  results. 

Much  of  this  material  appeared  originally  in  a 
series  of  tw^enty-five  articles  in  The  Sunday 
School  Times.  Additional  material  was  incor- 
porated in  the  Leaflets  of  the  Correspondence 
Course  of  The  Sunday  School  Times.  Some  of 
it  has  not  appeared  heretofore.  All  the  material 
has  been  revised  and  molded  into  such  form  as 
to  make  it  in  the  judgment  of  the  author  most 
helpful  to  teachers. 

In  submitting  the  articles  in  the  form  in  which 
they  are  cast  the  author  finds  himself  open  to  two 
criticisms :  ( i )  From  the  scientific  men  who  in- 
sist that  professional  material  shall  be  cast  in 
technical  language.  The  assumption  underlying 
this  position  is  that  accurate  thought  can  only 
be  portrayed  in  technical  terms.  For  this  point  of 
view  the  author  has  no  sympathy.    He  has  always 


X  INTRODUCTION 

been  of  the  opinion  that  if  the  truth  is  clearly 
apprehended  it  may  be  expressed  in  simple  lan- 
guage, and  he  is  grateful  that  his  own  experience 
has  been  such  as  to  enable  him  at  least  in  part 
to  translate  his  technical  training  into  the  homely 
and  forceful  phrases  of  common  experiences.  (2) 
From  the  sincere  friends  who  fear  that  the  ma- 
terial will  be  too  difficult  for  the  great  masses  of 
teachers  engaged  in  conscientious  effort  to  do 
some  good  somewhere  in  the  great  world  of  re- 
ligious activity.  A  few  friends  have  pointed  out 
the  danger  in  this  direction  and  have  held  that 
the  multitude  of  teachers  are  not  yet  prepared  to 
take  up  material  as  formal  as  this  must  neces- 
sarily be.  With  this  criticism  the  author  has  much 
sympathy.  It  is  his  desire  to  help  the  humblest, 
and  he  believes  that  any  earnest  individual  who 
will  give  himself  steadily  to  the  task  will  be 
able  to  utilize  the  discussions  of  this  volume  in 
his  upbuilding.  This  latter  class  has  been  kept 
steadily  in  mind.  Unless  the  many  can  be  helped 
there  is  little  need  of  undertaking  the  task  of 
helping. 

The  author  has  reason  to  believe  that  the  em- 
phasis of  the  discussion  here  presented  rests 
where  it  belongs.  That  the  fundamental  need  of 
the  religious  world  to-day  is  a  better  under- 
standing of  the  laws  and  materials  of  teaching; 
that,  in  short,  a  rich  life  is  worth  more  to  the 


INTRODUCTION  XI 

young  learner  than  a  rich  curriculum.  If  thor- 
oughly equipped  and  trained  teachers  can  be 
secured,  all  other  needs  incident  to  perfect  prod- 
ucts will  follow.  If  the  vital  need  is  provided  all 
attendant  conditions  to  right  teaching  will  in- 
evitably be  secured.  It  seems  manifestly  foolish 
to  waste  time  and  energy  upon  subordinate  mat- 
ters when  the  dominant  question  is  unsettled  and 
even  unnoted.  The  cry  of  childhood  is  for  teach- 
ers, teachers,  teachers ;  and  we  must  not  give 
a  stone  when  childhood  calls  for  bread.  What 
does  all  the  inanimate  material  of  education 
amount  to  if  it  is  not  quickened  into  life  and 
made  an  active  thing  by  the  spirit  of  a  trained 
teacher !  In  the  confident  belief  that  the  kingdom 
of  righteousness  through  the  Sunday-school  will 
be  advanced  by  an  earnest  study  of  these  guiding 
principles,  this  volume  is  given  to  those  that  love 
children  well  enough  to  teach  them  wisely  and 
well.  M.  G.  B. 

Philadelphia,  June  i,  1905. 


CONTENTS 

I 

The  General  Problem  Stated    . 


II 
.'^  How  Knowledge  Reaches  THE  Soul     .     .     ,     ,     ii 

III 

-^    How  Attention  May  Be  Secured 25 

IV 
^  Guiding  Principles  in  Attention 38 

V 
—    Some  Facts  Concerning  Memory 48 

VI 
— -  Retention  and  Recollection 58 

VII 
The  Building  of  Ideals ()^ 

VIII 
Feeling  and  Imagination 'J^ 

IX 
Educational  Principles  of  Moment    ....     95 


XIV  CONTENTS 

X 

—  The  Use  of  Symbols .   io6 

Kl 

On  Different  Kinds  of  Knowledge    .     ,     .     .125 

XII 
Facts  About  Judgment 136 

XIII 
Reason  AND  Educational  Ends 153 

XIV 
Some  Laws  of  Teaching 164 

XV 
Train  Up  a  Child 174 

XVI 
—  Soul- Activity  Through  Words  and  Questions,    191 

XVII 
The  Teacher's  Personal  Equipment    ....  202 

XVIII 

Qualities  that  Make  the  Teacher  a  Good 

Governor 213 

XIX 
Concerning  the  Course  of  Study 226 


CONTENTS  XV 

XX 

CON'CEKNING  THE  RECITATION 237      '^ 

XXI 

Phases  of  Religious  Training 250 

XXII 
Jesus  THE  Ideal  Teacher 262' 

XXIII 

Educational  Principles  Used  by  Jesus    .     .     .  273  - 

XXIV 

Educational  Methods  Used  by  Jesus      .     «     .  288 

XXV 

Some  Aspects  of  Religious  Teaching  ....  298 

XXVI 

Some  Suggestions  for  the  Sunday-School 

Teacher 308 

XXVII 
Some  Thoughts  on  Religious  Education      .    .  320 

XXVIII 
The  Scope  of  Religious  Education      ,     .     ,     .331 


I 

THE  GENERAL  PROBLEM  STATED 

'  I  ^HE  kind  of  an  education  that  human  beings 
are  capable  of  receiving  depends  upon  the 
nature  of  their  souls.  All  animals  are  capable 
of  being  trained.  They  may  by  repeated  exer- 
cises of  a  given  sort  be  led  to  do  certain  things 
which  they  would  not  of  themselves  be  capable 
of  doing.  The  doing  of  these  things  is  the  re- 
sult of  training.  Animals  thus  acquire  the  abil- 
ity to  perform  certain  acts  and  so-called  tricks. 
They  can  do  no  more.  They  repeat  only  the 
acts  thev  are  trained  to  perform. 

""educaLT  They  cannot  be  educated,  for 
education  implies  the  power  in 
the  learner  to  originate  thoughts  and  acts  be- 
yond those  taught.  This  power  of  self-initiative 
is  the  basis  of  education.  The  learner  wisely 
taught  a  few  guiding  facts  and  principles  is 
capable  of  adding  additional  facts  and  of  estab- 
lishing additional  principles.  Children  have  this 
power.  God  set  it  in  their  souls.  They  can  be 
educated.  Those  that  guide  this  activity  are 
educators.    We  usually  refer  to  them  as  teachers. 

Teachers  must  understand  the  nature  of  the 


2  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

human  soul.  They  must  also  possess  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  subject-matter  which,  under  their 
guidance,  is  the  occasioner  of  thought,  feeling, 
and  volition  in  the  pupil.  This  knowledge  of 
the  subject-matter  is  the  scholarship  of  the 
teacher.  It  should  be  clear,  distinct,  adequate, 
and,  in  some  aspects,  exhaustive.  These  terms 
will  be  more  fully  explained  later  on.  But  if 
the  teacher's  sole  equipment  is  a  knowledge  of 
the  materials  of  an  education,  he  is  helpless  in 
the  emergencies  of  the  teaching  process, — those 
rare  but  not  infrequent  moments  when  a  young 
soul  needs  specific  guidance,  a  guidance  that  can 
be  given  only  by  a  teacher  whose  trained  insight 

is  able  to   discover  the  specific 
^EqJipment'      "^^d,  and   is  prepared  to  meet 

it.  It  is  this  insight,  this  power 
of  vision,  that  the  teacher  needs  more  than  he 
needs  the  mastery  of  the  subject-matter  of  the 
lesson.  In  a  few  rare  spirits  this  insight  is  in- 
stinctive and  innate.  Happy  the  child  whose 
teacher  is  thus  richly  endowed !  To  most  of  us, 
this  power  is  the  product  of  study  and  of  re- 
flection. 

Therefore  this  volume  undertakes  to  outline 
a  course  of  study  that  will  aid  in  acquiring  this 
power.  There  will  be  no  attempt  to  phrase  the 
lessons  in  technical  language.  The  plain,  simple 
English  of  our  every-day  life  will  best  convey 


THE    GENERAL   PROBLEM    STATED  3 

to  the  student  the  data  to  be  set  forth.  The  im- 
portant thing  is  not  to  say  it  in  formal  phrases, 
but  to  see  it  as  it  is. 

In  addition  to  this  knowledge  of  mental  activ- 
ity and  of  subject-matter,  the  teacher  must  pos- 
sess a  knowledge  of  educational  principles  and 
of  educational  methods.  Why  things  should  be 
presented  in  this  or  that  order, 

'^'Methods"""  at  this  or  that  time,  with  this 
or  that  emphasis,  and  with  or 
without  illustration, — these  are  vital  questions. 
To  this,  if  one  adds  the  ability  to  manage  a  class, 
to  secure  order,  attention,  and  interest,  one  has 
in  effect  compassed  the  scope  of  the  problem  of 
making  a  teacher. 

The  exercise  of  this  equipment  within  the 
limits  set  by  the  nature  of  the  soul,  by  methods 
that  are  wise,  and  through  a  teacher  whose  love 
for  childhood  and  for  truth  exceeds  his  knowl- 
edge of  teaching,  w-ill  accomplish  the  result  we 
hope  for. — the  training  up  of  a  soul  into  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Him,  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth  that  is  glorified,  not  by  its  entertain- 
ment, but  by  its  use  in  a  life  of  service. 

Emerson  once  wrote  his  daughter  that  he 
cared  little  concerning  the  name  of  school  she 
attended,  but  that  he  cared  much  concerning  the 
teachers  with  whom  she  studied.  He  understood 
what  we  shall  all  have  to  understand,  that  the 


4  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

school  is   a   living   agency,   a   place    where   life 
touches  life;  and  that  teaching  is  the  conscious 
act  of  the  trained  spirit  of  a  teacher  influencing 
the  less  trained  spirit  of  the  pupil,  to  the  end 
that   the   pupil   may   come    into 
Emerson's  Idea     possessiou  of  all  the  knowledge, 
culture,     and     training     he     is 
capable  of  receiving.     The  entire  value  of  the 
teaching  process   is   to  be   found  in  the  power 
of  the  teacher  to  enrich  the  soul  of  the  learner. 
I  once  addressed  a  group  of  boys  in  a  junior 
church   service,   on  the   mission  work  in  Porto 
Rico.     With  some  degree  of  enthusiasm  it  was 
explained  to  the  boys  what  the  conditions  really 
are  in  this  little  "Pearl  of  the  Antilles."    It  was 
a  story  of  work  done,  of  people  helped,  of  chil- 
dren-made happy,  of  homes  made  clean,  of  life 
made  sweet.     At  the  conclusion  of  the  talk  a 
boy  of  fourteen  arose  and  said: 
A  Boy's  Idea      "  I   now   know   better   than  be- 
fore the  needs  of  these  people. 
I  feel  that  we  ought  to  help  them.     I  move  that 
we  send  ten  dollars  to  Porto  Rico  to  help  the 
work." 

It  was  a  short  speech.  But  it  was  a  good  one. 
The  boy  scarcely  realized  that  he  had  really 
tabulated  the  order  of  mental  activities.  Note 
his  remark.  "I  know,"  "I  feel,"  "I  move." 
Touched  in  his  intellect,  his  sensibilities,  and  his 


THE    GENERAL    PROBLEM    STATED  5 

will,  the  whole  round  of  mental  action  was  ex- 
ercised. 

Teaching  always  must  touch  this  entire  circle. 
To  know  is  only  to  enrich  the  mind.  To  know, 
to  feel,  to  do,  is  to  enrich  the  soul.  The  mind  is 
the  intellectual  function  of  the  soul.  To  inform 
the  mind  is  one  thing.     To  enrich  the  soul  is 

quite  another  thing.    The  teach- 
Soui  Enrichment   er   in   the   Sunday-school   above 

all  other  teachers  must  know 
how  to  enrich  the  soul, — to  occasion  right 
thought,  to  secure  keen  feeling,  and  to  ensure 
right  action. 

Jesus  was  a  teacher  of  human  souls,  not  of 
human  intellects.  The  great  teachers  of  Greece 
rested  their  discourses  upon  an  appeal  to  the  in- 
tellect. Their  great  orations  conclude  with  an 
appeal  to  reason — it  is  the  summing  up  in  logical 

order     of     the     principles     an- 
D?I!r!^  Dille      nounced  in  the  discourse.     The 

Roman  Flans 

hearer  was  led  to  know.  There 
is  a  reason  for  this.  Greek  philosophy  as  formu- 
lated by  Socrates  assumed  that  if  one  knew  the 
right  he  would  surely  do  it.  We  have  abundant 
proof  of  the  inadequacy  of  this  teaching.  The 
great  teachers  of  Rome  rested  their  discourses 
upon  an  appeal  to  the  sensibilities.  Their  great 
orations  conclude  with  an  appeal  to  the  feelings 
— it  is  the  sweep  of  a  lofty  sentiment  to  a  climax 


6  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

that  swayed  the  auditors  as  the  summer  winds 
move  the  ripening  grain.  Many  of  our  Ameri- 
can orators  have  followed  these  Roman  models. 
But  the  greatest  teacher  of  all,  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, directed  his  appeal  to  the  will.  He  was  too 
wise  to  be  content  with  intellectual  products  as 
were  the  Greeks,  or  with  emotional  products  as 
were  the  Romans.  He  understood  that  the  soul 
is   cultured  only   when   the   will 

Jesus'  Plan  is  moved  to  act.  Notice  how  he 
concludes  that  most  wonderful 
of  all  addresses,  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount: 
"  Every  one  therefore  that  heareth  these  words 
of  mine,  and  doeth  them,  shall  be  likened  unto 
a  wise  man;"  and,  again:  "And  every  one  that 
heareth  these  words  of  mine,  and  doeth  them  not, 
shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man."  Note  that 
the  difference  is  not  in  the  understanding,  but 
in  the  doing,  of  the  truths  he  uttered.  Both 
heard.  The  foolish  man'  did  not  act.  The  wise 
man  acted.  We  want  teaching  like  this,  teaching 
that  appeals  to  the  will,  teaching  that  ends  in 
noble  living. 

Books,  apparatus,  maps,  charts, — in  short,  all 
the  materials  used  in  the  teaching  process, — are 
but  the  scaffolding  that  a  wise  teacher  uses  to 
build  a  human  soul.  But  the  soul  itself  is  the 
product  the  teacher  must  see  from  the  beginning, 
not  merelv  the  materials  with  which  he  works. 


THE    GExXERAL    PROBLEM    STATED  / 

The  choicest  fruit  earth  holds  up  to  its  Creator 
is  a  good,  clean,  vigorous  man  or  woman.  To 
ripen,  elevate,  educate  a  man^  a  woman,  that  is 
worth  while.  To  the  accomplishment  of  this  we 
may  well  devote  our  thought,  our  prayer,  our 
constructive  effort.  And  as  the  task  is  most 
worthy,  the  process  is  most  difficult  and  delicate. 
But  it  can  be  done,  it  must  be  done,  if  we  are  to 
meet  our  responsibilities  and  prove  equal  to  our 
opportunities. 

All  good  teaching  is  methodic.  It  follows  some 

plan  that  experience  and  research  have  approved. 

To  teach  without  method,  or  to  teach  unmindful 

of  method,  is  to  fail  utterly.    No 

^TTJS^T     amount  of  zeal,  no  wealth  of  en- 

be  Methodic  ' 

thusiasm,  no  acceptance  of  the 
place  of  teaching  from  a  sense  of  duty,  valuable 
as  these  may  be,  will  in  any  appreciable  degree 
ensure  results  such  as  we  pray  for  and  long  to 
achieve. 

Our  methods  of  teaching  find  their  sanction 
in  certain  underlying  laws.  These  laws  are  our 
educational  principles.  These  educational  prin- 
ciples, when  rightly  understood,  will  likewise  be 
found  to  rest  upon  another  series  of  laws  which 
inhere  in  the  mind  itself.  The  teacher  must  know 
(i)  how  the  mind  operates,  (2)  how  these  laws 
of  the  mind  express  themselves  in  terms  of 
educational     principles,     and     (3)     how    these 


8  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

educational    principles    determine    methods    of 
teaching. 

A  complete  recognition  of  this  threefold  aspect 
of  the  problem  of  teacher-making  is  found  in  the 
teaching  of  Jesus.  It  is  said  that  he  taught  in 
parables.     That  is,  his  method  of  teaching  was 

in  the  form  of  the  parable.    The 
l%tZ        payable     method     of     teaching 

rests  upon  the  well-known  ed- 
ucational law  that  we  should  proceed  from  the 
concrete  to  the  abstract.  He  saw  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  in  a  mustard  seed ;  in  a  man  that  is  a 
householder;  in  a  man  which  sowed  good  seed 
in  his  field ;  in  leaven,  which  a  woman  took,  and 
hid  in  three  measures  of  meal ;  in  a  treasure  hid 
in  a  field ;  in  a  merchantman  seeking  goodly 
pearls ;  in  a  net  which  is  cast  into  the  sea ;  and 
so  on  through  the  series.  In  each  case  it  is  to  be 
noted  that  he  presents  the  concrete,  the  familiar, 
easily  understood  experiences  of  the  every-day 
life  of  his  hearers,  and  upon  these  he  builds  their 
understanding  of  the  abstract  and  new  knowl- 
edge of  the  kingdom. 

It  is  becoming  increasingly  clear  to  educational 
experts  that  no  finer  example  of  teaching  is  to 
be  found  anywhere  than  that  exemplified  by  the 
Great  Teacher,  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  We  shall  find 
in  the  method  of  others  many  valuable  applica- 
tions of  educational  law.     We  shall  learn  from 


THE    GENERAL    PROBLEM    STATED  9 

the  long  array  of  educational  reformers  many 
broken  fragments  of  good  teaching.  But  the 
perfect  ideal,  the  rounded  model  of  all  wise 
teaching,  is  found  onl\-  in  the  activities  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth. 

Our  Sunday-school  teaching  is  even  now  too 
frequently  simply  the  interpretation  of  a  lesson. 
It  is,  I  fear,  quite  generally  an  attempt,  success- 
ful or  otherwise,  to  explain  the  meanings  of 
terms ;  to  locate,  geographically  and  historically, 
the  events  of  the  lesson ;  to  memorize  some 
Golden  Text;  to  strain  to  the  limit  the  language 
of  the  Bible  in  an  effort  to  find  in  each  lesson 

some     all-comprehensive     guid- 
some  Defects      ance ;  and  to  bring  about  these 

results  under  conditions  of  in- 
struction and  of  discipline  that  defeat  whatever 
of  virtue  such  a  process  might  have.  It  is  not 
the  fault  of  the  Sunday-school  teachers  that  this 
has  been  possible,  it  is  the  result  of  our  system. 
We  have  frequently  given  over  to  wholly  un- 
trained teachers  the  immature  mind,  the  mind 
that  is  not  able  to  reject  or  to  accept,  but  is 
wholly  without  an  experience  against  which  to 
measure  the  quality  of  its  instruction.  To  teach 
a  mature  mind  the  truth  of  God  is  a  noble  work. 
To  teach  a  child  the  truth  of  God  is  a  nobler 
work.  For  the  Sunday-school  teacher  there 
opens  a  splendid  prospect,  a  glorious  possibility. 


lO  THE    MAKING   OF   A    TEACHER 

To  see  a  human  soul  open  clear  and  sweet  in 
the  light  of  His  truth,  and  to  be  conscious,  as 
the  gardener  is,  that  it  is  your  planting,  your 
watering, — that  exalts  teaching. 


II 

HOW  KNOWLEDGE  REACHES  THE  SOUL 

1^  NOWLEDGE  arises  in  the  human  soul 
through  the  special  senses.  These  senses 
are  sight,  hearing,  smell,  taste,  and  touch.  Some 
object  in  the  external  world  comes  within  the 
range  of  the  activity  of  one  or  more  of  these 
senses.  Instantly  a  nervous  excitation  is  occa- 
sioned. The  nerves  of  the  senses  affected  carry 
the  impression  made  upon  them 

How  We  Know  to  the  brain.  This  impression 
is  a  sensation.  The  body  is  lit- 
erally packed  with  these  sensation  carriers. 
Taken  as  a  whole  they  are  the  nervous  system. 
This  includes  the  brain,  the  spinal  marrow, 
ganglia,  the  nerves  proper  and  the  senses  above 
referred  to.  A  critical  study  of  this  nervous 
system  in  such  a  treatise  as  Carpenter's^  would  be 
interesting  and  profitable,  if  one  wished  to  un- 
derstand the  physical  basis  of  the  mental  life; 
only  a  few  of  its  manifold  aspects  can  here  be 
considered. 

The  relative  value  of  these  special  senses  in 

*  Principles  of  Mental  Physiology,  by  William  Benjamin  Car- 
penter. 

II 


12  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

education  is  in  direct  ratio  to  the  range  of  their 
activity.  We  see  farther  than  we  hear.  Educa- 
tion through  the  eye  is  perhaps  better  education 
than  any  other.  "  Seeing  is  beheving."  It  is 
well,  however,  to  consider  how  valuable  are  the 

sensations  of  touch  in  the  right 
the  Senses        education  of  the  mind.  If  under 

touch  we  group  the  sensation  of 
temperature,  this  sense  falls  within  the  law  an- 
nounced. When  these  senses  operate  in  con- 
junction, the  value  of  the  sensation  each  conveys 
is  increased.  For  this  reason  illustrated  ad- 
dresses are  effective.  If  a  child  handles  an  ob- 
ject as  he  hears  of  it  from  his  teacher,  the  value 
of  the  instruction  is  enhanced. 

The  thing  to  bear  in  mind  is  that  these  special 
senses  complement  one  another.  Note  the  highly 
significant  value  of  the  sign  at  the  railroad 
crossing :  "  Stop,  look,  listen  !  "  Here,  too,  the 
thoughtful  teacher  will  see  reasons  for  variety 
in  presentation  of  truth,  and  also  for  the  value 
of  concrete  illustration  in  teaching.  It  is  well 
to  consider  the  value  of  these  sense-organs,  and 
to  note  that  each  sensation  must  be  a  vivid  one 
if  the  mental  result  is  to  be  educationally  valu- 
able. If  you  have  children  with  defective  vision 
or  impaired  hearing,  the  problem  of  their  educa- 
tion becomes  a  special  one.  They  should  have 
all  the  skill  and  patience  and  sympathy  that  a 


HOW    KNOWLEDGE    REACHES   THE   SOUL        1 3 

noble  teacher  can  command.  I  would  advise 
teachers  to  read  the  story  of  Dr.  Howe's  work 
with  Laura  Bridgman,  and  especially  the  almost 
miraculous  work  of  Miss  Sullivan  with  Helen 
Keller.^  If  to  those  to  whom  so  much  was  de- 
nied such  splendid  results  have  come,  the  teacher 
has  no  reason  for  despair  on  the  side  of  physi- 
cal limitation  in  childhood.  In  a  large  Sunday- 
school  it  would  be  manifestly  wise  to  make 
special  provision  along  certain  lines  for  the  de- 
fective pupils. 

This  nervous  system  is  the  sentinel  of  the  soul. 
It  gathers  in  from  all  sources  myriads  of  sensa- 
tions. These  sensations  sweep  with  more  than 
lightning  speed  to  the  brain.  In  the  brain  they 
undergo  a  change.  At  one  instant  they  are  phy- 
sical forces,  the  phenomena  of  the  physical  realm  ; 
they  may  be  measured,  and  in  general  treated  as 
are  other  things  that  are  physical  or  material. 
At  the  next  instant  they  have  un- 

Sensations  j  ^  t  i.-  i-"! 

and  Percepts  ^^ergone  a  transformation.  They 
shed  their  material  qualities,  and 
take  to  themselves  spiritual  qualities.  They  are 
no  longer  things  of  the  brain  and  of  the 
nerves.  They  are  now  things  of  the  soul. 
They  have  passed  from  the  field  of  the 
physiologist   to    the    realm    of    the  psychologist. 

1  Laura  Bridgman,  by  Maud  Howe  and  Florence  Howe  Hall. 
The  Story  of  My  Life,  by  Helen  Keller, 


14  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

They  are  henceforth  phenomena  of  the  soul. 
They  are  now  percepts,  not  sensations,  and 
we  say  the  soul  perceives  them.  How  this 
transformation  is  wrought,  I  know  not.  It  is  the 
mystery  of  knowledge.  God  has  so  organized 
this  complex  of  body  and  of  soul  that  things  of 
the  former  may  instantly  become  things  of  the 
latter.  Until  this  transformation  occurs,  the 
thing  presented  to  the  senses  is  not  an  element  of 
knowledge.  We  cannot  say  that  knowledge  en- 
ters the  soul.  It  does  not  exist  in  the  nerves, 
nor  in  the  brain,  nor  in  our  environment.  Things 
that  do  exist  in  these  external  agencies  are  only 
the  occasioners  of  knowledge.  Knowledge  dwells 
only  in  the  realm  of  the  spirit.  We  have  not 
taught  a  thing  when  we  have  presented  it  to  the 
senses.  It  is  not  taught  until  it  is  the  possession 
of  the  spirit.  Teachers  should  ponder  well  this 
initial  step  in  knowledge,  until  they  see  clearly 
what  really  is  meant  by  imparting  knowledge  to 
the  human  soul. 

The  main  question  is  this :  How  does  the  soul 
gain  knowledge  and  what  does  it  do  with  this 
knowledge?  Do  you  see  clearly  why  this  is  an 
important  inquiry?  A  fact  exists  somewhere  in 
God's  realm.  For  you  it  exists  only  when  it  is 
in  your  soul  and  your  soul  knows  the  fact  as  its 
own  possession.  The  problem  then  is  to  track 
the  fact  from  the  realm  of  things  to  its  resting- 


HOW    KNOWLEDGE   REACHES    THE    SOUL        15 

place  ill  the  soul.  Let  us  follow  its  trail.  It 
comes  within   the   range   of  our  special   senses. 

These  special  senses  are  the 
Explained         scouts  of  the  soul.     They  seize 

upon  the  fact.  They  report  it 
through  the  nervous  system  to  the  brain.  Think 
of  the  innumerable  multitude  of  these  incoming 
reports.  Each  one  is  called  a  sensation.  The 
brain  may  be  likened  to  a  central  office  in  a  tele- 
phone system,  the  wires  of  which  are  the  nerves 
reaching  to  the  body's  surface  and,  in  the  power 
to  detect  facts,  far  beyond  the  range  of  the  body. 
Make  a  rough  chart  of  the  range  of  their  opera- 
tions. Think  of  the  many,  many  calls  they  make 
upon  the  central  office.  Consider  how  busy  the 
central  office  is.  At  times  the  rush  of  calls  is  so 
great  that  all  the  calls  cannot  be  attended  to. 
Some  of  these  sensations  are  in  some  manner 
miraculously  changed.  The  soul  takes  notice  of 
them.  They  appear  in  consciousness,  the  same 
and  yet  not  the  same.  Ponder  well  this  process. 
The  sensation  is  suddenly  transformed  into  a 
fact  in  the  soul.  It  is  a  percept.  This  is  only  a 
name  for  the  product  of  the  soul's  action  upon 
a  sensation.  What  was  simply  a  physical  force  is 
now  a  spiritual  thing,  one  simple  element  with 
which  the  soul  is  enabled  to  work  in  rearing 
within  itself  the  temple  of  knowledge.  The  char- 
acter of  that  temple  is  determined  by  these  ele- 


l6  THE    MyVKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

ments.  It  cannot  build  with  what  it  does  not 
have.  Consider  carefully  what  this  temple  of 
knowledge  should  be  like ;  ask  and  answer  the 
question :  What  does  God  want  a  human  soul 
to  contain?  You  will  then  understand  the  value 
of  placing  the  right  things  in  the  soul,  and  of 
keeping  out  such  things  as  will  mar  the  temple. 
Is  it  too  much  to  say  that  what  we  most  desire 
that  soul  to  become  is  achieved  only  by  placing 
in  it  the  materials  with  which  alone  it  is  able  to 
make  itself  so? 

For  example :  God  evidently  wants  every  hu- 
man soul  to  be  beautiful  in  his  sight.  How  can 
it  become  so?     What  perceptions  will  result  in 

such  a  soul-quality?  We  cannot 
Illustration        attach   too  mucli  importance  to 

an  understanding  of  this  point. 
I  urge  you  at  this  point  to  read  Hawthorne's 
"  Great  Stone  Face."  Read  it  carefully.  See 
how  Ernest  actually  became  the  man  he  longed 
to  discover.  He  alone  had  for  years  received 
the  materials  out  of  which  by  God's  laws  the  soul 
could  grow  to  the  ideal  he  longed  for.  The  law 
is :  We  grow  upon  what  we  feed.  Choose  then, 
the  right  nutrition  for  a  soul.  "  Evil  communi- 
cations corrupt  good  manners"  is  as  true  to-day 
in  America  as  it  was  in  the  long  ago  in  Corinth. 
Do  not  lightly  regard  the  significance  of  the 
tilings  you  place  in  the  soul  of  your  pupil. 


HOW    KNOWLEDGE    REACHES    THE   SOUL        1 7 

Pestalozzi  was  accustomed  to  point  to  a  hole 
in  the  wall  of  his  dilapidated  school-room  at 
Stanz,  and  say  to  his  class,  "  What  do  you  see  ?  '' 
They  answered,  "  We  see  a  hole  in  the  wall." 
Then  he  would  say,  "But  what  do  you  see?" 
And  they  replied,  "  We  see  a  large  hole  in  the 
wall."  Then,  with  increased  emphasis,  "  But 
what  do  you  see?  "  They  said,  "  We  see  a  large 
jagged  hole  in  the  wall."  And  thus  he  con- 
tinued  the  process  of  stimulat- 

Pestalozzi's         •         ,i     •  i-i   i 

Method  ^"&  their  vision  until  he  was  as- 

sured that  they  really  saw  the 
object,  until  it  became  a  clear  percept  in  their 
minds.  I  use  the  term  percept  as  a  name  for  the 
mental  product  of  a  sensation.  The  power  of  the 
soul  to  create  these  percepts  from  sensations  is 
called  perception.  Clear  perception  is,  therefore, 
the  first  step  in  clear  knowing. 

Let  us  now  consider  another  aspect  of  the  pro- 
cess by  which  a  sensation  becomes  a  percept. 
The  percept  is  in  the  soul.  It  is  a  fact  of  the 
spiritual  life.  Every  fact  of  the  spiritual  life  is 
known  as  such  by  the  soul.  The  power  of  the 
soul  to  know  its  own  products  is  called  con- 
sciousness. The  soul,  not  the  body,  creates  the 
elements  of  knowledge  from  the  crudest  percept 
to  the  highest  generalization  of  reason.  It  has 
the  power  to  know  its  own  products.  How  it 
does  this  is  again  a  mystery.    Let  us  be  content 


l8  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

to  understand  that  it  does  know  its  products. 
Consciousness  is  the  revelator  to  the  soul  of  its 
own  possessions.  Facts  of  knowledge  are  facts 
in  consciousness.  The  soul,  through  conscious- 
ness, has  noted  them.  It  has  been  said  that  con- 
sciousness rings  the  rising  bell  in  the  dormitories 
of  the  soul.     Its  powers  are  by 

Consciousness        •,  i  j  i     i.^  i-n 

Defined  ^^  awakened,  or,  better  still,  are 

directed  to  the  incoming  sensa- 
tions, and  the  soul  sees  them  as  they  become  in 
it  elements  of  spiritual  activity.  To  understand 
this  is  to  understand  a  vital  fact  in  the  equipment 
of  the  teacher.  Knowledge  must  be  so  occa- 
sioned in  the  learner  that  he  is  conscious  of  it, 
that  he  knows  it.  Thus  it  is  apparent  that  mere 
telling  is  not  teaching.  It  will  be  well  at  this 
point  in  your  study  to  read  thoughtfully  chapter 
I,  section  2,  of  Dr.  H.  Clay  Trumbull's  "  Teach- 
ing and  Teachers."  ^ 

No  amount  of  preparation  on  the  part  of  the 
teacher,  no  amount  of  skill  in  presenting  data 
to  the  consciousness,  no  amount  of  exposition 
on  the  part  of  the  teacher,  will  answer  liere. 
These  are  all  good.  They  are  all  necessary. 
But  they  must  be  used  with  that  rare  insight  that 
enables  the  teacher  to  know  that  the  pupil  is  for 
himself   consciously    entertaining   the    facts    im- 

^The  price  of  this  book  is  $1.25.     It  can  be  ordered  from  The 
Sunday  School  Times  Co.,  as  can  nil  others  mentioned  here. 


HOW    KNOWLEDGE    REACHES    THE    SOUL        I9 

parted.     By  participation  in  the  lesson  the  pupil 
reveals  what  is  in  his  consciousness.     All  good 

teaching    seeks    for    expression 

pupil  thinks,  what  he  says,  what 
he  gives  expression  to  in  words,  in  actions,  in 
deeds,  that  reveals  what  is  really  taught.  Mechani- 
cal repetition  from  memory  of  formulated  an- 
swers is  not  the  result  the  true  teacher  seeks.  I 
once  knew  a  teacher  who  was  so  much  concerned 
in  having  the  exact  text  of  the  lesson  repeated  by 
the  pupil  that  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  actually 
cut  the  grade  of  a  pupil  for  failure  to  insert  a 
comma  at  the  place  it  occurred  in  the  text-book. 
This  teacher,  like  some  of  those  whom  Jesus 
knew,  was  more  concerned  for  the  technical  de- 
tails than  for  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law. 
Be  sure  that  the  emphasis  of  your  teaching  and 
of  your  concern  rests  upon  the  essentials  of  the 
teaching  process. 

If  now  it  is  reasonably  clear  to  us  how  sen- 
sations become  percepts,  and  how  the  soul 
through  consciousness  is  aware  of  its  own  con- 
tent, we  may  profitably  ask  under  what  conditions, 

both  physical  and  psychical,  con- 
condui^ons        sciousness    best    entertains    the 

facts  of  knowledge.  The  physi- 
cal conditions  comprise  all  the  agencies  that  sur- 
round  the    child  in  learning,  and  the  psychical 


20  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

conditions  include  all  those  states  of  the 
soul  that  aid  in  producing  vivid  impressions  in 
consciousness.  Of  the  physical  environment  of 
the  learner  it  is  not  necessary  now  to  write.  Let 
us  pass  that  by  for  a  subsequent  treatment,  not 
because  it  is  unimportant,  but  because  the  psychi- 
cal conditions  are  logically  next  in  order  of  study. 

Consciousness  may  be  thought  of  as  a  lumi- 
nous quality  that  fills  all  the  recesses  of  the  soul. 
It  has  a  focus  and  an  outer  field  of  less  vivid 
illumination.  This  focus  is  capable  of  endless 
shifting.  Thus  at  one  moment  one,  and  at  a 
second  moment  another,  area  of  consciousness 
is  in  the  focus.  We  say  the  mind  wanders.  We 
mean  that  the  focus  of  consciousness  is  con- 
stantly shifting. 

We  put  pen  to  paper  to  write  upon  a  given 

theme.    The  focus  of  consciousness  is  unsteady. 

We  think  of  the  theme  and  lo !  the  tick  of  the 

clock,  the  creaking  of  a  chair, 

Co'lTsiiousnesl  ^^e  passing  of  a  trolley  car,  the 
rumble  of  an  engine,  the  pres- 
ence of  a  fly  on  our  desk,  the  rustle  of  the  leaves 
in  a  tree  near  by,  and  countless  other  things,  are 
sufficient,  each  in  turn,  to  change  the  focus  and 
compel  the  mind  to  consider  other  things.  In 
despair  we  drop  the  pen,  fold  our  arms,  and  wait 
the  shifting  of  our  focus  to  the  matter  of  the 
theme.     I  once   saw  a  man  in   church,  in  the 


HOW    KNOWLEDGE   REACHES   THE  SOUL        21 

presence  of  the  congregation,  go  forward  and 
adjust  a  lamp  that  was  not  properly  suspended. 
He  could  not  focus  his  mind  upon  the  discourse 
until  the  lamp  ceased  to  control  the  focus. 

Is  there  a  power  that  will  hold  the  focus  stead- 
ily upon  one  particular  field  of  knowledge  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  others?  There  is  such  a  power. 
It  is  attention.  Attention  is  the  power  of  the 
soul  by  which  the  focus  of  consciousness  is  held 
steadily  upon  a  given  group  of  ideas  in  the  soul. 
When  the  soul  takes  notice  of  its  perceptions 
we  say  it  is  conscious  of  them.  Thus  conscious- 
ness is  the  soul's  power  of  knowing  its  own  con- 
tent. The  perceptions  in  the  soul  seem  to  be  in 
constant  motion.  They  flow  now  into,  now  out 
of,  the  focus  of  consciousness ;  that  is,  they  are 
constantly  changing  from  the  point  of  clear 
knowing, — which  is  the  center  or  focus  of  con- 
sciousness,— to  some  region  or  range  in  which 
they  are  not  so  clearly  known.     They  may  even 

pass  wholly  beyond  the  range  of 
o^sensltro'lls      consciousness.     Have   you   ever 

yielded  to  an  attitude  of  mind 
passive  to  this  stream  of  sensations?  It  seems 
as  if  one  could  stand  aside  and  look  passively 
upon  the  passing  procession  of  perceptions.  Can 
we  arrest  this  procession,  stop  it,  hold  one  per- 
ception in  the  focus  of  consciousness,  and  deny 
it  the  tendency  it  has  to  rush  on?    If  so,  we  have 


22  THE    MAKING   OF   A    TEACHER 

in  this  power  of  arrest  our  first  great  educational 
possibility;  for  if  we  can  compel  the  soul  to  re- 
gard one  and  disregard  other  perceptions,  we 
have  in  doing  this  the  possibility  of  reorganizing 
the  content  of  the  soul.  The  perception  we  ar- 
rest and  hold  in  consciousness  is  by  that  process 
greatly  changed.  The  soul  becomes  familiar 
with  it.  The  soul  gains  mastery  over  it.  The 
soul  learns  how  to  use  it.  The  soul  endows  it 
with  new  power,  and  with  vital  relations.  Thus 
the  soul  uses  the  enriched  perception  as  it  could 
not  use  it  before.  Whatever  power,  then,  can 
hold  one  perception  for  a  time  in  consciousness 
is  of  the  highest  educational  value.  That  power 
is  Attention.  It  has  a  negative  aspect  in  that  it 
refuses  to  attend  to  such  things  as  may  clamor 
for    consideration.      It    has    its 

What  Attention  •,  •  i.     •        j.i     i.     "i 

Does  positive   aspect   in   that   it   may 

compel  consciousness  to  rest 
upon  one  thing  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others. 
Thus  attention  is  the  power  that  makes  possible 
the  instruction  of  the  learner.  Without  atten- 
tion there  can  be  no  true  teaching.  The  teacher 
must  secure  attention  at  the  outset.  To  teach  in 
the  hope  that,  by  teaching,  attention  will  finally 
be  secured,  is  hazardous  and  wasteful.  It  is  to 
be  noted  that  the  teacher  cannot  compel  atten- 
tion, but  the  teacher  can  secure  attention.  How 
may  this  power  of  attention  be  secured? 


HOW    KNOWLEDGE    REACHES    THE    SOUL        23 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Does  knowledge  come  into  the  human  soul  from  with- 
out?    If  so,  how? 

If  tlie  special  senses  were  never  to  report  sensations, 
what  would  be  the  condition  of  the  human  soul? 

Do  you  remember  a  thing  better  from  hearing  it  or 
from  reading  it?  How  does  this  bear  upon  the  right 
method  of  instruction? 

Some  people  are  said  to  be  ear-minded;  others  eye- 
minded;  what  do  you  mean  by  this? 

Jot  down  on  a  sheet  of  paper  the  different  things 
that  come  into  the  focus  of  consciousness  in  your  own 
mind  in  any  given  two  minutes  of  time.  Will  the  fact 
that  you  jot  them  down  have  anything  to  do  with  the 
character  of  the  things  which  you  note? 

Have  you  been  telling  your  children,  or  have  you  been 
teaching  them,  great  fundamental  spiritual  truths? 

Why  should  the  child  give  expression  to  his  knowl- 
edge? 

Is  your  class  so  organized  that  the  pupils  are  free  to 
say  what  they  have  in  their  minds?  Do  they  keep  to  the 
subject  under  study? 

Do  you  deliberately  cultivate  freedom  of  expression 
in  your  class?     Should  you  do  so?     Why? 

Have  you  ever  seriously  studied  the  way  you  know 
the  content  of  your  own  soul  ? 

Have  you  any  definite  method  of  preventing  the  minds 
of  your  pupils  from  wandering? 

Jot  down  in  your  note-book  the  things  that  you  do  in 
order  to  keep  the  focus  of  consciousness  upon  the  thing 
which  you  most  desire  the  pupil  to  consider. 


24  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

Is  it  true  that  without  attention  there  can  be  no  true 
teaching?    If  so,  why? 

Explain  fully  the  function  of  consciousness. 

What  is  the  relation  of  attention  to  the  stream  of 
sensations? 

What  power  of  the  soul  brings  percepts  to  the  focus 
of  consciousness? 

Attention  makes  possible  the  enrichment  of  percepts. 
Explain  this  statement. 

In  Milton's  Comus  the  Lady,  in  a  critical  moment,  ex- 
claims, "  I  was  all  ear."  What  does  Milton  understand 
by  this  sentence? 

Why  cannot  a  teacher  compel  attention?  What  fol- 
lows? 


Ill 

HOW  ATTENTION  MAY  BE  SECURED 

AXZE  have  now  tracked  our  fact  through  sen- 
sation, perception,  and  consciousness,  to 
attention.  What  will  attention  do  with  it?  This 
question  cannot  now  be  answered  wisely.  We 
must  first  study  this  power  of  attention.  It  is 
most  significant.  Is  it  always  the  same?  Is  it 
easily  controlled?  Is  it  always  active?  You 
should  at  this  point  make  note  of  the  power  of 
attention  as  it  manifests  itself  while  you  study 
these  words.  Do  you  focus  on  this  line  your  en- 
tire attention?  Is  it  easy  for  some  outside  fact, 
calling  through  the  senses,  to  destroy  your  at- 
tention? Can  I  readily  shift  your  attention? 
What  peculiar  quality  in  this  discussion  seems  to 
hold  your  attention  most  steadily?  What  can 
you  most  readily  give  up,  what  do  you  find  your- 
self holding  to  most  tenaciously? 

In  the  preceding  chapter  the  question  was 
raised :  "  How  may  attention  be  secured  ?  "  The 
answer  to  this  is  important,  because,  as  we  have 
seen,  without  attention  there  is  no  fixedness  in 
thought.  This  will  be  apparent  to  anybody  who 
will  for  a  moment  consider  the  stream  of  thought 

25 


26  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

that  passes  under  the  focus  of  consciousness.  It 
is  one  minute  one  thing  and  another  minute  an- 
other thing,  and  so  on  through  an  almost  end- 
less series. 

It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  there  is  no 
connection  between  the  different  percepts  in  the 
stream  of  thought.  There  probably  is,  but  the 
connection  is  oftentimes  so  subtle  that  we  fail  to 
recognize  it,  and  in  general  it  is  of  such  a  char- 
acter as  to  make  it  practically  useless  for  educa- 
tional purposes.  It  is  only  when  attention  arrests 
the  stream  of  thought,  and  holds 

Arresting  the      ^j     £  £  consciousness  upon 

stream  of  Percepts  '^ 

one  distinct  aspect  of  this  stream 
of  thought,  that  anything  like  vivid,  connected 
thought  arises  in  the  soul.  It  is,  therefore,  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  understand  something  of 
the  fundamental  laws  that  control  attention,  and 
something  of  the  skill  which  a  teacher  needs  to 
possess  in  order  to  be  sure  to  command  the  at- 
tention of  the  pupil. 

If  now  we  ask  what  it  is  that  causes  attention 
to  fasten  upon  one  and  not  another  of  the  differ- 
ent areas  of  thought  in  the  mind,  to  hold  the 
focus    of   consciousness   at    this 
What  Guides      j^gtcad  of  somc  Other  place,  we 

Attention  r  ^ 

have  reached  the  fundamental 
question.  In  each  case  it  is  some  agency  of 
the  soul  that  does  it.     We  can  secure  it  in  no 


HOW    ATTENTION    MAY    BE    SECURED  2/ 

Other  way.  No  outside  influence  can  do  more 
than  produce  the  conditions  within  the  soul 
that  result  in  attention.  Why  does  my  mind  in 
any  given  moment  rest  upon  this  instead  of  some 
other  thing?  What  directs  attention?  The  an- 
swer to  this  question  a  teacher  needs  to  consider 
carefully. 

The  area  of  attention  is  not  so  great  as  that 
of  consciousness.  Real  education  has  to  do  not 
with  all  that  is  in  consciousness  but  only  with 
that  part  which  lies  within  the  area  of  attention. 
There  are  three  areas  of  possible  knowledge  in 
the  soul,     (i)  The  widest  area, 

consciourness"  ^hich  may  be  called  the  beyond- 
conscious  (sometimes  referred 
to  as  the  sub-conscious  area)  ;  (2)  the  area  of 
conscious  knowledge;  and  (3)  the  limited  area 
within  these  which  is  the  vivid  area  of  attention. 
Wundt  likens  the  different  areas  to  the  whole 
field  of  vision  when  one  looks  out  upon  a  land- 
scape. There  is  the  vague  fringe  of  practically 
unnoted  objects,  the  less  extended  circle  of  ob- 
jects seen,  and  the  specific  object  upon  which 
one  focuses  his  attention.  Everything  in  teach- 
ing depends  upon  the  skill  of  the  teacher  in  fixing 
attention  upon  the  specific  things  the  pupil  should 
consider.  Our  attention  rests  upon  those  things 
which  are  for  us  objects  of  interest,  and  the  de- 
gree of  our  attention  to  any  given  thing  is  but 


28  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

the  expression  in  terms  of  mental  activity  of  the 
soul's  interest  in  that  thing. 

Two  of  the  three  types  of  attention  are  here 
to  be  distinguished.  Voluntary  attention  is  the 
act  of  the  will  compelling  attention  to  -rest  upon 
the  subject  under  consideration.  It  is  usually, 
and  especially  in  children,  a  relatively  weak  form 
of  attention.  The  power  of  the  will  is  not  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  fix  attention  for  any  consider- 
able time  upon  a  given  theme  or 
Attention  g^oup  of  facts.  We  somctimcs 
endeavor  to  secure  this  type  of 
attention  by  saying,  "  Now,  children,  give  me 
your  attention."  We  cannot  command  attention. 
Again,  we  resort  to  threats,  to  scolding,  to  abuse, 
as  if  in  these  agencies  we  had  found  some  effica- 
cious control  over  the  attention.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  all  these  are  useless. 

The  second  type  of  attention  is  usually  called 
involuntary  or  positive  attention,  by  which  we 
simply  indicate  that  it  is  not  under  the  control 
of  the  will.    By  what,  then,  is  it  controlled?  Our 
involuntary    attention    rests    upon    those    things 
which  are  for  us  objects  of  interest.  Where  there 
is  no  interest,  there  is  no  posi- 
'  ATtTtSn^       tive  attention.  Where  there  is  no 
positive  attention,  there  is   sel- 
dom clear  knowledge  in  consciousness.     Where 
there  is   no   clear   knowledge   in   consciousness, 


HOW    ATTENTION    MAY    BE    SECURED  29 

there  is  confusion  and  darkness,  the  vague 
borderland  of  superstition  and  of  doubt,  and  of 
all  the  other  ills  which  may  break  into  the  human 
soul,  and  take  possession  of  what  ought  to  be  a 
steadfast  and  clear-minded  spirit,  if  properly 
taught. 

Thus  interest  controls  involuntary  attention. 
Through  interest  we  give  ourselves  to  the  lesson 
presented.  We  are  interested  in  a  thing  when  we 
are  affected  by  it.  Whether  the  thing  presented 
is  pleasurable  or  painful  it  matters  not.  What 
Interest  and  ^  large  field  of  study  opcus  up 
Involuntary       at  this  poiut !     Voluntary  atten- 

Attention  i*  •         i  n      i.-  r^. 

tion  is  always  ileetmg.  it  can- 
not be  prolonged.  But  interest  is  abiding,  and 
interest  controls  involuntary  attention.  Hence 
involuntary  attention  is  vastly  more  significant 
as  a  requisite  mental  state  for  the  learner  than 
is  voluntary  attention. 

The  teacher  needs  to  note  here  how  very  diffi- 
cult it  is  to  teach  the  child  in  opposition  to  his 
interests.  It  is  of  course  true  that  through  vol- 
untary attention  we  may  be  able  to  do  so,  but  it 
is  doubtful  whether  the  result  justifies  the  strug- 
gle by  which  it  is  secured.  How  anxiously  we 
endeavor  to  secure  in  our  pupils  the  fullest  at- 
tention to  the  great  truths  of  religion.  Think 
of  the  punishments,  the  penalties,  the  exhorta- 
tions, that  have  been  employed  to  this  end !    Per- 


30  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

haps  you  have  a  personal  experience  on  this 
point.  How  much  of  all  this  do  you  think  is 
justified  by  the  results  attained?  May  it  be  pos- 
sible that  over-solicitous  parents 
invo"veT  ^^^^  ^"  ^o"^^  cases,  by  their  fail- 
ure to  understand  this,  actually 
defeated  the  very  purpose  they  had  so  much  at 
heart  ?  I  understand  how  difficult  it  is  to  say  this 
without  opening  the  way  for  decided  dissent ;  but 
let  us  be  fair.  What  are  the  facts  as  they  are 
known  to  you?  I  once  knew  a  child  in  school 
to  weep  bitterly  because  she  was  reproved  for 
whispering.  The  teacher  said,  in  giving  the  re- 
proof, "  You  are  a  naughty  girl."  Inquiry  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  the  child  wept  because  she 
was  in  imminent  fear  of  a  visit  from  the  devil. 
Her  mother  had  repeatedly  said  to  her,  "  If  you 
are  naughty,  remember  that  the  bad  man  will 
be  sure  to  catch  you." 

Note  the  struggle  in  your  own  soul  between 

what  you  will  to  attend  to  and  the  thing  you 

really  do  attend  to.     Your  interest  is  in  conflict 

with  your  will.     For  a  short  time  your  will  may 

succeed  in  directing  your  attention,  but  sooner 

or  later  interest  wins  the  strug- 

An  Illustration     gle,  and  we  follow  its  beckon- 

ings.     We  go  to  church.     We 

resolve  to  listen  to  the  sermon.    We  hear  the  text. 

We  follow  the  opening  words  of  the  discourse. 


now    ATTENTION    MAY    BE   SECURED  3  I 

Our  will  is  in  control,  and  suddenly  we  find  our 
attention  upon  some  topic  wholly  foreign  to  the 
service.  We  exert  our  will ;  back  comes  our  at- 
tention ;  we  again  hear  the  discourse,  and  presto ! 
once  more  the  attention  has  played  truant  to  the 
will,  and  is  following  again  the  overmastering 
beckonings  of  our  interest. 

As  a  child  I  went  frequently  several  miles 
to  Sunday-school.  The  way  in  summer  led 
through  a  beautiful  bit  of  God's  grand  old  forest. 
The  birds  sang  in  the  trees.  The  squirrels  leaped 
from  bough  to  bough.  The  color  and  fragrance 
of  myriads  of  flowers  enraptured  me.  The  green 
sward  was  checkered  with  sun  and  shadow.  It 
seemed  to  my  young  spirit  as  if  God  had  rained 
beauty  in  endless  profusion  all  about  me.  How 
I  longed  to  stay  and  revel  in  this  flower-scented, 
sun-illumined,  bird-choired  spot! 

In  the  Sunday-school  a  sincere  teacher 
wrought  as  best  he  knew  to  fix  my  attention  upon 
young  Samuel,  upon  the  kings  of  Israel,  upon 
the  wise  Solomon,  upon  Paul's  exhortations ;  but 
ever  and  anon  I  found  my  attention  drawn  as  by 
a  magnet  to  the  scenes  yonder  in  the  forest.  In- 
terest was  drawing  me.  My  will  was  helpless  to 
resist.  Teachers,  you  little  know  the  army  of 
competitors  against  which  you  must  struggle  to 
gain  the  attention  of  a  soul.  And  yet,  gain  it 
you  must,  if  you  are  to  enrich  that  soul.     If  it 


32  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

is  difficult  for  the  pupil  to  command  attention, 
how  much  more  difficult  is  it  for  the  teacher  to 
do  so.  The  more  excellent  way  is  to  ascertain 
the  interests  of  the  pupil. 

If  my  teacher  had  only  known  the  things  of 
interest  to  me,  how  readily  he  could  have  made 
them  the  occasion  of  securing  my  attention,  of 
building  there  the  tabernacles  of  truth,  into 
which  with  joy  my  spirit  would  have  entered  to 
find  and  to  partake  of  His  truth.  How  splendidly 
Jesus  understood  this.  To  those 
UseT'interest  whose  interests  clustered  about 
their  flocks  he  was  the  Good 
Shepherd.  To  the  man  whose  flock  had  been 
scattered,  how  readily  would  the  search  for  the 
one  that  was  lost  quicken  interest,  secure  atten- 
tion, arouse  concern,  and  lead  to  an  understand- 
ing of  his  mission.  To  those  whose  physical  ills 
had  saddened  life,  how  tenderly  helpful  was  the 
statement,  "  They  that  are  whole  need  not  a  phy- 
sician, but  they  that  are  sick."  How  their  in- 
terest was  thus  aroused,  and  they  were  fitted  to 
understand,  "  I  came  not  to  call  the  righteous, 
but  sinners  to  repentance." 

Interest  is  not  some  strange  and  foreign  con- 
dition of  the  spirit.  Interest  as  such  is  but  a 
name  to  characterize  the  attitude  of  the  soul  to  the 
things  which,  by  reason  of  its  past  experiences,  it 
cares  to  own.     As  it  has  come  up  through  the 


HOW    ATTENTION    MAY    BE    SECURED  ^3 

years  of  unfolding,  the  soul  has  gathered  here 

and  there  particular  fields  of  thought,  particular 

answers    to    its    inquiries,    and 

What  Interest  Is  specific  nourishment  of  its  own, 
and  it  has  come  at  last  to  rela- 
tively full  and  complete  knowledge.  Conscious- 
ness of  this  begets  interest,  and  holds  the  mind 
with  a  hunger  which  can  be  satisfied  only  when 
it  comes  into  the  possession  of  the  fuller  knowl- 
edge in  these  several  channels  or  avenues. 

If,  then,  we  wish  to  teach  easily,  we  must  teach 
in  harmony  with  the  interests  in  the  soul.  It  is 
my  abiding  faith  and  conviction  that  God  has  set 
in  every  human  soul  a  hunger  for  himself.  The 
race  craves  a  knowledge  of  him,  and  the  wise 
teacher  will  need  to  make  no  apology  to  secure 
the    interest   on    the    part    of   the    child    in    the 

The  Race  Craves    matters   presented   in   the    Sun- 
a  Knowledge      day-school, — provided    only    the 
of  God  teacher  remembers  the  fact  that 

the  new  knowledge  which  the  teacher  yearns  to 
present  to  the  hungry  soul,  and  which  the  hun- 
gry soul  itself  craves,  must  always  be  presented 
in  terms  which  will  link  the  new  knowledge  with 
the  past  experience  of  the  child.  The  pupil  must 
see  the  new  in  the  light  of  the  old.  His  knowl- 
edge must  grow  from  a  common  center,  other- 
wise it  is  fragmentary,  uninteresting,  causes 
dissatisfaction,  and  is  substantially  worthless. 


34  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

It  is  well  to  note  that  the  secret  of  an  abiding 
love  for  the  truths  of  religion  is  best  secured 
by  creating  pleasurable  interest  in  the  child's  soul 
for  the  things  of  the  higher  life.  A  pious  old 
minister,  with  a  keen  insight  that  we  should 
strive  to  imitate,  was  deeply  concerned  in  the 
welfare  of  a  fatherless  grandson.  He  took  the 
boy  with  him  when  visiting  the  poor  of  his  rural 
parish  in  the  valleys  of  the  Alps.  The  boy  was 
enraptured  by  the  beauty  so  lavishly  displayed 
on  mountain  and  glen.  When  they  entered  the 
poverty-stricken  houses  of  the  poor,  and  the  boy 
saw  how  impossible  it  was  for  the  children  of 
these  homes  to  enjoy  God's  beautiful  pictures,  he 
was  led  to  say :  "  Grandpa,  when 

Pestalozzi's  j  j  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^  ^^^ 

-^  Example  ' 

side  of  the  poor."  A  noble  reso- 
lution this !  He  kept  it,  and  the  world  knows  the 
result.  That  boy  was  Henry  Pestalozzi,  a  father 
to  orphans,  the  founder  of  universal  elementary 
education.  He  rightfully  enjoys  the  high  tribute 
paid  him  by  his  biographer :  "  He  lived  like  a 
beggar  that  he  might  teach  beggars  to  live  like 
men."  By  creating  interest  in  the  poor,  the  great 
reformer  never  could  turn  from  them. 

I  urge  you  to  write  the  story  of  some  girl  ov 
boy,  some  young  man  or  woman,  whose  life  was 
but  the  working  out  of  some  great  resolution, 
made  in  a  moment  when  the  soul  was  aglow  with 


HOW    ATTENTION    MAY    BE    SECURED  35 

interest.  Compare  your  story  with  the  incident 
in  the  Hfe  of  Ruth,  the  resolute-hearted  and  pure- 
spirited  daughter-in-law  of  Naomi.  When 
Naomi,  widowed,  broken  in  spirit,  and  absolute- 
ly impoverished,  set  out  for  Bethlehem,  she  ad- 
vised Orpah  and  Ruth  to  seek  their  own  fortunes 
in  the  land  of  their  nativity.  But  Ruth  embraced 
her  mother-in-law,  and  said :  "  Entreat  me  not  to 
leave  thee,  and  to  return  from  following  after 
thee;  for  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go;  and 
where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge ;  thy  people  shall 
be  my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God ;  where  thou 
diest,  will  I  die,  and  there  will  I  be  buried." 
Here  is  a  sublime  surrender  of 
Ruth's  Example  a  noble  woman  to  a  great  pur- 
pose. God  sustained  Ruth.  She 
became  the  great  soul  her  resolution  fitted  her  to 
be.  Read  the  sequel :  "The  book  of  the  genera- 
tions of  Jesus  Christ  .  .  .  And  Boaz  begat 
Obed  of  Ruth ;  and  Obed  begat  Jesse ;  and  Jesse 
begat  David  the  king  .  .  .  And  Jacob  begat 
Joseph  the  husband  of  Mary,  of  whom  was  born 
Jesus,  who  is  called  Christ."  It  is  a  holy  thing 
to  plant  a  high  purpose  in  a  human  soul.  God 
will  make  it  in  his  own  time  serve  great  ends. 
It  is  worth  while  to  work  for  the  moment  when 
your  pupil  rises  at  his  best,  and  makes  declara- 
tion for  the  Christian  life.  Not  the  many  things, 
but  the  decisive  things,  mold  our  lives. 


36  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

If  you  have  carefully  considered  the  phases  of 
attention  so  far  discussed,  you  will  readily  un- 
derstand that  voluntary  attention  is  of  question- 
able value  in  teaching  young  children, — that 
involuntary  attention  is  tremendously  significant, 
and  that  it  is  made  so  by  the  intimate  relation  it 
sustains  to  interest.  The  Herbartians  in  Ger- 
many and  in  America  alike  agree  that  the 
doctrine  of  interest  is  the  most  valuable  doctrine 
announced  to  teachers  in  a  half- 

"^"'inteJelr  "'    century.     Herbart's  "  Science  of 

Education"     and     De     Garmo's 

"  Interest   and   Education"   are   typical   treatises 

upon  this  significant  phase  of  teacher  equipment. 

"  But,"  asks  the  teacher,  "  how  am  I  to  ascer- 
tain the  interests  of  childhood,  and  so  secure 
positive  attention  in  my  class  ?  "  I  wish  I  could 
in  a  sentence  answer  that  question.  How  I  have 
longed  for  the  magic  words !  They  have  not  yet 
been  discovered ;  but  some  thoughts  may  be  sub- 
mitted later  that  will  in  a  way  clarify  the  vague 
longings  of  the  sincere  student. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Can  you  detect  any  connection  between  successive 
stages  of  consciousness? 

Try  to  stop  the  stream  of  consciousness  by  an  act  of 
will.     Is  it  an  easy  or  a  difficult  task? 

How  would  you  define  attention? 


HOW    ATTENTION    MAY    BE    SECURED  37 

What  is  the  vahie  of  the  advice,  "  Pay  no  attention 
tv:»  it  ?  " 

Two  of  the  three  types  oi  attention  are  here  presented, 
— what  are  they,  and  can  you  anticipate  a  third? 

Will  punishment  increase  attention?     Why? 

Recall  to  your  mind  times  in  your  own  life  when  you 
were  all  attention,  and  explain  the  reason  for  your  rapt 
concern. 

Just  what  is  interest?  How  does  it  war  with  the 
will  ? 

When  children  are  not  attentive  is  it  evidence  of  de- 
liberate hostility?     If  not,  of  what  is  it  evidence? 

Cite  examples  from  the  teachings  of  Jesus  that  clearly 
indicate  his  recognition  of  the  importance  of  interest. 

Is  the  human  soul  innately  clothed  with  interest  in 
God  and  things  of  his  kingdom? 

Here  is  the  pupil, — here  is  the  lesson.  How  may  in- 
terest in  the  former  be  aroused  for  the  latter? 


IV 

GUIDING  PRINCIPLES  IN  ATTENTION 

np  O  UNDERTAKE  an  analysis  of  the  inter- 
ests in  children  that  control  attention  is  im- 
possible. These  interests  are  both  varied  and 
subtle.  They  defy  enumeration.  They  in  a  large 
measure  explain  our  differences  and  account  for 
our  various  careers.  We  act  in  response  to  our 
feelings.  Our  feelings  organize  themselves  about 
our  interests,  hence  our  interests  control  our  con- 
duct. To  live  right  one's  interest  must  be  quick- 
ened for  the  right.  In  this  field  of  interest,  the 
field  of  experience,  the  teacher  must  find  what 
Patterson  Du  Bois  calls  "  the  point  of  contact." 
His  excellent  treatise  under  this  title^  every 
teacher  should  read. 

If  parents  and  teachers  of  children  in  the  pri- 
mary school  could  be  led  to  realize  the  signifi- 
cance of  creating  right  interests  in  young  souls, 
how   joyous   would  become   the 

The  Feelings  and        r,  •      j.        u-    ~     u 

Attention         aftcr-proccsses  m  teachmg,  how 

readily     would     growing     souls 

feed  upon  the  truth,  how  splendid  would  be  the 

happy  procession  of  eager  footsteps  upward  into 

'  The  Point  of  Contact  in  Teaching. 
38 


GUIDING    PRINCIPLES    IN   ATTENTION  39 

holy  living!  I  venture  the  assertion  that  our 
weak  spot  in  education  is  our  neglect  of  the  edu- 
cation of  the  feeling-life  of  the  child.  When  we 
seek  guidance  upon  this  vitally  significant  phase 
of  mental  growth  we  are  met  at  the  outset  with 
the  fact  that  the  theme  has  not  been  in  any  ade- 
quate way  considered.  The  great  and  potent 
feeling-life  of  the  child  is  practically  unknown 
and  overlooked  in  our  zeal  to  secure  great  issues 
in  the  thought-life  of  the  child.  William  James 
points  out  the  significant  fact  that  the  native  in- 
terests of  children  lie  altogether  in  the  sphere  of 
sensation.  His  discussion  of  this  is  most  sug- 
gestive.^ 

We  are  interested  in  those  things  which  in  our 
past  have  for  some  reason  become  significant  to 
us.  If  now  a  new  truth  is  to  be  given,  it  is  wise 
to  link  it  with  what  we  already  know.  Thus  we 
compel  the  pupil's  attention  by  appealing  to  his 
interest. 

A  fine  example  of  good  teaching  is  recorded 
in  Acts  17  :  22-31.  Paul  was  in  a  strange  city. 
It  was  the  capital  of  culture.  Its  citizens  were 
devoutly  interested  in  their  religion.  They  had 
gods  innumerable.  For  these  gods  they  enter- 
tained the  greatest  reverence.  Paul  knew  this. 
He  was  quick  to  discover  the  basis  of  their  in- 
terest. He  begins  his  discourse  by  a  reference  to 
*  Talks  on  Psychology  and  Life's  Ideals,  chapter  ix. 


40  THE   MAKING   OF    A    TEACHER 

an  altar  and  its  inscription.  They  knew  that 
altar.  They  knew  that  inscription.  At  once  he 
had  their  attention.     By  a  most  skilful  use  of 

what  they  knew  he  led  them  to 
"^Attention"'*    Understand    what   they   did   not 

know.  The  interest  they  had  in 
what  they  knew  was  splendidly  carried  over  into 
the  region  of  truth  which  Paul  wished  them  to 
know.  Read  the  discourse  carefully.  See  how, 
step  by  step,  he  led  them  from  altar  and  inscrip- 
tion to  God,  the  earth-creator,  the  life-giver,  the 
brotherhood-builder,  the  omnipresent,  the  true 
God,  the  Father  of  the  resurrected  Christ.  How 
simple  his  opening  words,  how  skilful  his  lead- 
ing to  the  one  thing  he  always  preached,  the 
Christ. 

In  the  familiar  parable  of  the  sower  the  Great 
Teacher  begins  his  discourse  with  a  plain  recital 

of  an  every-day  event  familiar 

flow  Jesus  Secured  ai-j--i  ttijxI- 

Attention  ^°  "^^  disciplcs.  He  leads  them 
by  most  skilful  transition  to  the 
race-wide  work  of  his  people. 

When  Socrates  was  an  old  man,  he  one  day 
walked  the  streets  of  Athens  alone.  His  head 
was  bowed,  his  body  was  bent,  his  step  was  un- 
steady, in  his  hand  he  carried  a  massive  cane. 
Under  his  shaggy  eyebrows  darted  out  the  keen 
eye  of  an  observant  man. 

Coming  up  the  street  was  a  young  man.    He 


GUIDING    PRINCIPLES   IN    ATTENTION  4I 

walked  erect,  his  head  well  poised,  his  step 
elastic,  his  bearing  worthy  the  Ephebi  group  to 
which  he  belonged.  Socrates  saw  all  this.  He 
was  pleased.  As  the  young  man 
serufL^AMeilton  ^ame  near  he  stepped  aside  that 
the  old  sage  might  pass.  Quick  as 
a  flash  the  heavy  cane  of  the  philosopher  seemed 
to  slip  and  trip  the  young  man.  The  latter  in- 
stantly recovered  himself,  and  showed  regret  that 
he  might  in  any  way  have  annoyed  one  so  old 
and  so  feeble.  Suddenly  Socrates  turned,  and, 
looking  the  youth  full  in  the  face,  said : 

"  My  son,  can  you  tell  me  where  in  this  city  I 
may  buy  bread  ?  " 

The  youth  promptly  replied,  "  Sire,  up  yonder 
street  and  two  doors  to  the  left." 

Pleased  at  the  directness  and  politeness  of  the 
youth,  Socrates  said : 

"And,  my  son,  can  you  tell  me  where  in  all 
this  city  I  may  buy  wisdom  ?  " 

The  youth  replied  regretfully,  "  Indeed,  sire,  I 
know  not." 

"  Then,"  said  the  sage,  "  follow  me  and  learn." 
That  youth  was  Xenophon,  the  life-long  friend 
and  follower  of  the  great  Attic  philosopher. 

Great  teachers  are  these.  Note  how  each 
grasped  the  fundamental  law  of  teaching  through 
the  interest  aroused  in  his  hearers. 

There  is  a  third  type  of  attention  that  is  worthy 


\r' 


42  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

of  more  than  a  passing  notice.  It  is  usually  char- 
acterized as  expectant  attention.  The  soul  seems 
at  times  to  anticipate  what  is  to  occupy  the  focus 
of  consciousness,  to  be  in  a  way 
Attentron  aware  of  objects  in  conscious- 
ness before  they  are  really  in 
the  focus.  The  soul  at  times  seems  to  sense 
facts  in  advance  of  their  clear  definition  in  con- 
sciousness. 

Sometimes  just  an  instant  before  the  clock 
strikes  or  the  bell  rings  we  seem  to  be  aware 
of  the  coming  experience.  The  nerves  seem  to 
be  set  to  catch  a  certain  sensation,  the  sensation 
we  desire,  and  lo !  it  comes.  This  expectancy  is 
at  times  very  marked.  It  is  as  if  we  set  atten- 
tion to  watch  for  a  certain  fact  or  series  of  facts 
before  they  arise  in  consciousness.  This  is  then 
followed  by  the  facts  expected  arising  in  the 
focus  of  consciousness.  Under  this  aspect  of  atten- 
tion one  may  find  a  clew  to  the  power  of  sugges- 
tion, of  hypnotism,  of  mind-reading,  and  perhaps 
of  so-called  Christian  Science.  Of  these  phe- 
nomena v/e  need  not  now  take  special  notice. 

We  do  seem  to  get  a  more  vivid  impression 
if  we  set  the  attention  trap  in  advance  to  catch 
the  fact  when  it  does  enter  the  focus  of  con- 
sciousness. If  we  enter  the  class-room  to  teach, 
confidently  expecting  to  succeed,  we  are  thereby 
predisposed  to  success.     A  wise  teacher  always 


GUIDING   PRINCIPLES    IN   ATTENTION  43 

seeks    to     prepare     the     mind     for     the     best 

things  of  the   lesson.     Tactfully  the   discussion 

leads  to  expectant  attention  on 

**Attention*"  ^^^  P^^^  °^  ^^^^  pupils,  and  then 
the  best  things  are  presented. 
Sometimes  a  pause,  a  stress  of  voice,  a  kindling 
eye,  a  pertinent  question,  or  some  kindred  action, 
is  enough  to  arouse  in  advance  the  attention  of 
the  pupils.  Again  it  may  require  repeated  ap- 
proach by  incident  and  illustration  skilfully  pre- 
sented to  accomplish  the  result.  Instinctively  a 
good  teacher  will  endeavor  to  predispose  the  soul 
to  receive  the  best  things. 

When  once  the  teaching  process  has  been  car- 
ried well  along  in  this  manner,  it  is  frequently 
possible  for  the  pupil  to  run  ahead  in  thought, 
and  predict  for  himself  the  issue  of  the  narrative. 
Here  lies  a  law  of  teaching  well  worth  our  at- 
tention. If  we  make  our  narrative  so  tedious, 
so  full  of  petty  details,  so  annoyingly  full  of 
qualifications,  the  mind  of  the  pupil  in  a  burst  of 
impatience  sweeps  all  this  aside,  and  demands 
the  next  vital  step  in  the  series  of  incidents  that 
lead  to  the  final  issue ;  or,  what  is  worse,  the 
mind  of  the  pupil  may  become 
^"'"Itl^tC*""*  lost  in  the  maze  of  detail,  and 

Attention  ' 

fail  utterly  to  come  at  last  into 
a  clear  understanding  of  the  central  truth  ar- 
rived at  bv  the  teacher.    Hawlev  Smith,  the  au- 


44  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

thor  of  "  The  Evolution  of  Dodd,"  once  told  me 
the  hero  of  that  story  attended  school  one  day, 
and  was  absent  the  next.  The  parents  of  Dodd 
sought  the  reason.  Dodd  explained  that  on  the 
first  day  the  teacher  taught  dog  to  the  class,  and 
that  the  following  day  dog  was  to  be  reviewed. 
Dodd  said  he  knew  dog  already,  and  he  was  sim- 
ply out  of  school  till  the  teacher  on  the  follow- 
ing day  meant  to  take  up  the  dog;  "  then,"  said 
Dodd,  "  I  am  going  to  go  again/'  The  teacher's 
method  did  not  keep  pace  with  Dodd's  unfolding, 
and  hence  the  difficulty.  It  is  a  good  teacher 
who  knows  how  rapidly  to  move  forward  to  the 
new  things.    Too  slow  is  as  unwise  as  too  fast. 

It  may  be  well  to  note  that  mere  bodily  atti- 
tude is  not  a  guarantee  of  attention.  Pupils  may 
sit  at  attention,  and  yet  their  attention  may  be 
far  from  the  matter  in  hand.  A  young  woman 
once  thanked  me  for  the  close  attention  I  gave 
to  a  paper  she  read  at  an  educational  meeting. 
My  eyes  were  fixed  steadily  upon  her.  I  was 
really  not  attending  to  the  subject-matter  of  her 
address,  but  I  was  absorbed  by 

An  Illustration  an  enormous  comb  stuck  loosely 
in  her  hair.  Every  movement 
of  her  head  threatened  to  cast  the  valuable  adorn- 
ment to  the  rostrum  floor.  I  was  absorbed  in  the 
fate  of  her  comb  and  not  at  all  in  the  subject 
she  discussed, 


GUIDING    PRINCIPLES    IN   ATTENTION  45 

Pause  in  the  midst  of  your  teaching  and  ask 
some  pupil  to  repeat  the  main  points  from  the 
beginning".  When  he  is  well  begun,  ask  a  second 
one  to  continue  the  review,  and  you  will  be 
amazed  at  the  result  unless  you  have  real  atten- 
tion in  your  pupils.  The  captain  of  a  steamer, 
whose  hearing  is  dimmed,  was  frequently  in- 
formed by  his  passengers :  "  It  is  a  beautiful 
day,  Captain."  One  day  a  quiet-voiced  lady  said 
to  him:  "What  lighthouse  is  that,  Captain?" 
To  which  he  politely  replied :  ''  Yes,  a  very  fine 
day." 

So  far  from  what  we  really  expect  is  the  an- 
swer we  sometimes  receive.  The  pupil  is  not 
thinking  our  thoughts.  We  do  not  have  his  at- 
tention.   We  are  not  teaching. 

Right  bodily  conditions,  however,  have  much 
to  do  with  securing  attention.  To  attend  stead- 
ily to  one  thing  for  any  considerable  time  is 
physically  exhausting.  Young  pupils  should  not 
be  expected  to  give  steady  attention  for  more 
than  a  few  minutes  to  one  thing.  If  this  is  not 
kept  in  mind  by  the  teacher,  confusion,  restless- 
ness, disorder,  arise  in  the  class.  As  the  pupil 
advances  in  years  the  time  of 
^"'l'ip?r"an?"  the  recitation  may  be  length- 
ened.  With  young  pupils  a 
change  to  some  new  activity  is  necessary.  With 
older  pupils  a  change  in  the  order  of  thought 


46  THE    MAKING   OF   A    TEACHER 

may  suffice.  This  is  a  matter  of  such  significance 
that  the  wisely-trained  teacher  will  need  to  ob- 
serve in  her  own  pupils  when  attention  yields 
to  fatigue.  No  arbitrary  time  can  be  set  as  a 
limit  to  the  recitation ;  and,  perhaps^  in  the 
Sunday-school  this  caution  is  not  really  pertinent. 
The  only  guidance  of  value  is  this :  Do  not  tax 
the  attention  of  the  pupil  beyond  the  limit  of  his 
ability  to  give  close  attention  to  the  exercise. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

How  do  you  explain  the  variation  in  attention  on  the 
part  of  the  different  members  of  your  class? 

How  do  our  feelings  influence  our  actions?  Do  wc 
act  as  we  think  or  as  we  feel? 

Explain  the  relation  between  your  acts  and  your  in- 
terest. 

Why  did  Paul  begin  his  address  on  Mars'  Hill  by  a 
reference  "  To  the  Unknown  God  ?  " 

How  does  expectant  attention  differ  from  voluntary 
attention  ?  from  involuntary  attention  ? 

Discuss  the  phenomena  of  hypnotism  in  their  relation 
to  expectant  attention. 

Are  you  familiar  with  the  general  doctrine  of  sugges- 
tion as  a  teaching  agency? 

H  the  teacher  takes  up  the  lesson  expecting  to  secure 
attention,  is  his  expectation  likely  to  be  the  more 
readily  realized?     Why? 

In  case  you  do  not  secure  attention  from  your  pupils, 


GUIDING    PRINCIPLES    IN    ATTENTION  4/ 

name  some  things  that  may  result  in  securing  atten- 
tion? 

What  is  the  measure  of  the  rate  of  progress  in  unfold- 
ing the  truths  of  the  lesson? 

Are  you  ever  tedious  in  teaching?  Are  you  ever  too 
hasty  or  too  obscure  in  covering  the  salient  points  in 
the  lesson? 

How  will  you  distinguish  between  bodily  attitude  and 
true  attention? 

Should  a  teacher  know  the  dominant  interests  of  his 
pupils?     Why? 


V 

SOME  FACTS  CONCERNING  MEMORY 

T  HAVE  hinted  that  the  mind  has  power  to 
enrich  the  facts  of  knowledge  which  it 
holds  in  consciousness.  Let  us  not  forget  this 
statement  while  we  consider  an  intermediate  step 
in  the  development  of  knowledge  in  the  soul. 
The  report  which  the  mind  makes  of  the  thing 
it  perceives  is  called  a  percept.  This  percept  is 
the  mental  result  of  a  clear  perception.  It  is  by 
some  writers  called  an  idea,  by  which  they  mean 
that  the  mind  has  some  sort  of  a  picture  of  the 
thing  that  exists  outside  the  mind.  We  speak 
of  a  real  cat  and  of  our  idea  of  cat ;  of  cow  and 
of  our  idea  of  cow ;  of  things  generally  and  of 

our  ideas  of  these  things.  These 
^'^  Are*^^*        ideas,  then,   are  mental   images 

of  things.  Just  what  they  are 
like  is  not  quite  clear.  But  this  is  clear :  By  their 
frequent  reappearance  in  consciousness  we  come 
to  know  them  as  the  sign  or  image  of  the  thing 
itself.  Given  the  idea,  the  appropriate  object  is 
at  once  called  by  the  idea  into  consideration.  We 
do  not  often  get  the  wrong  idea  for  a  thing.  The 
mind  is  an  accurate  reporter.  It  seldom  fails  to 
48 


SOME    FACTS    CONCERNING    MEMORY  49 

make  true  connection  between  a  given  object  and 
its  appropriate  idea.  We  may  depend  upon  the 
integrity  of  its  processes  and  the  correctness  of 
its  results. 

But  these  ideas  are  not  always  in  the  focus 
of  consciousness,  not  always  the  things  of  atten- 
tion, not  always  the  objects  of  interest.  These 
ideas  seem  to  be  fleeting.  They  elude  conscious- 
ness, and  others  take  their  place.  They  do  this 
in  spite  of  volition  and  of  interest.  Where  do 
they  go?  Can  they  be  recalled?  They  perhaps 
do  not  pass  wholly  out  of  consciousness,  but  they 
are  no  longer  the  things  of  at- 

What  Memory  Is  tention.  But  they  may  be  re- 
called and  again  be  made  the 
things  of  attention.  The  power  by  which  the  soul 
retains  and  recalls  its  past  experiences  and  makes 
them  again  the  things  of  attention  is  memory. 

So  important  was  memory  held  to  be  among 
the  ancient  Greeks,  that  they  not  only  deified  her 
as  Mnemosyne,  daughter  of  Uranus,  but  they 
made  her  the  mother  of  the  sacred  muses.  These 
nine  muses  w^ere  the  guardian  divinities  whose 
function  it  w-as  to  preside  over  the  nine  impor- 
tant branches  of  knowledge.  They  lived  on 
Mount  Helicon,  and  Gray  thus  refers  to  their 
influence : 

"  From  Helicon's  harmonious  springs 
A  thousand  rills  their  mazy  progress  take." 


50  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

Thus  in  the  Greek  mind  all  knowledge  was  sup- 
posed to  flow  from  this  great  fountain  of  mem- 
ory.    In   all   ages   memory   has 
^"^Memory  "^      heen  regarded  as  of  transcend- 
ent value.     We  have  often  bur- 
dened it  unduly,  and  made  it  blindly  bear  burdens 
of  ideas  which  it  should  not  bear;  and  we  have 
regarded  it  not  infrequently  as  the  final  resting- 
place  of  ideas ;  and,  although  in  a  vague  way  we 
know  what  the  abuse  of  memory  is,  yet  we  go 
merrily  on  unloading  upon  it  endless  series  of 
facts,  and   complacently   assuming   that   when   a 
fact  is  once  in  memory  it  is  known. 

I  wish  the  teacher  at  this  point  to  pause  for  a 
moment  and  consider  the  miracle  of  memory. 
Things  learned  in  years  agone  are  by  it  held  in 
the  everlasting  present.  What  we  once  learned 
we  always  may  know.  What  we  now  teach  to 
our  pupils  they  may  retain  and  recall  as  long  as 
their  spirits  are  body-encased,  and  it  is  my  con- 
viction that  they  are  recalled  when,  free  from 
the  body,  the  spirit  mounts  to  eternity.  This  is 
God's  method  of  dignifying  the  work  of  the 
teacher.  God  has  so  planned 
"^^  Memory  ""^  ^hat  what  wc  plant  in  a  human 
soul  may  bloom  perennially.  We 
have  no  right  to  plant  carelessly,  since  we  have 
no  power  to  reset  our  plantings.  If  what  we 
place  by  wise  teaching  in  the  soul  of  a  child  were 


SOME   FACTS   CONCERNING   MEMORY  5  I 

to  fade  and  die  in  a  fortnight,  how  very  hopeless 
and  useless  would  our  teaching  be !  Thank  God 
that  you  teach  for  time  and  for  eternity.  Get  up 
on  the  heights.  See  the  splendid  prospect  God 
sets  for  those  that  teach  in  his  name ! 

Let  us  consider  the  significance  of  this  power 
by  which  we  retain  and  recall  knowledge.  We 
are  at  once  face  to  face  with  a  well-known  fact, 
namely,  that  much  of  all  we  teach  to  a  child 
seems  to  be  speedily  forgotten.  One  teacher  in 
despair  declared  that  her  pupils  seemed  to  have 
traded  their  memories  for  what  she  called  "for- 
getters."  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  many 
things  once  in  consciousness  seem  to  have  passed, 
and  passed  forever,  into  regions  beyond  recall. 
One  Source  Herein  lies  one  explanation  of 
of  Waste  in  the  great  waste  in  education. 
Notice  that  I  use  the  word 
"seem"  to  describe  what  happens.  It  is  perhaps 
true  that  they  do  not  pass  beyond  recall,  but  we 
have  lost  them  because  of  one  of  two  things : 
either  we  have  not  endeavored  to  recall  them,  or 
we  have  lost  the  string  of  association  by  which 
we  might  readily  have  drawn  them  again  into 
consciousness  as  objects  of  attention.  Both  of 
these  causes  operate  to  lessen  the  value  of  teach- 
ing. 

Every  time  an  element  of  knowledge  is  re- 
called and  made  an  object  of  attention  there  is 


52  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

established  an  increasing  tendency  to  make  easy 
its  recall.  The  reverse  is  also  true.  Allow  an 
element  of  knowledge  to  lie  unnoted  in  the  dim 
recesses  of  the  mind,  and  there  comes  a  time 
when  the  power  of  recall  seems  to  have  been 
lost.     Hence  the  great  importance  of   frequent 

recalls  of  knowledge  to  the  cen- 
Vaiue  of  Recall     tcr  of  consciousness.     If  this  is 

done  with  the  wise  variety  in 
method  that  a  good  teacher  knows  how  to  use 
the  result  is  most  important.  If,  however,  it  be- 
comes the  monotonous  iteration  of  the  same 
things  in  the  same  way  interest  is  destroyed  and 
the  teaching  process  is  useless. 

The  little  girl,  daily  required  to  hear  the 
twenty-third  Psalm,  finally  said,  "  Mamma,  let's 
not  read  about  '  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd  '  to- 
day, I  am  tired  of  that."  The  same  truth  holds 
concerning  the  lesson  plan.  If  the  teacher  re- 
peats with  endless  monotony  one  order  of  exer- 
cises from  Sunday  to  Sunday  he  will  find  at  last 
that  it  is  increasingly  difficult  to  secure  attention. 
Frequent  and  varied  reviews  of  truth,  if  wisely 
conducted,  are  not  distasteful  to  the  pupil.     But 

frequent    and    monotonous    re- 
shakespeare       views,     as     Shakespeare     says, 

"  clog  the  hungry  edge  of  appe- 
tite." We  all  know  how  apprehensively  we  ap- 
proach the  quarterly  review.    We  are  practically 


SOME    FACTS    CONCERNING    MEMORY  53 

defeated  by  our  own  state  of  mind  when  we  enter 
upon  the  exercise,  and  yet  the  review  is  a  valu- 
able, and  may  be  made  a  delightfully  interesting, 
part  of  our  teaching. 

The  longer  we  delay  the  recall  of  an  image  or 
memory  product  the  more  difficult  it  is  to  recall 
it.  For  this  reason  it  is  always  wise  to  secure 
a  recall  of  the  mental  image  as  early  as  possible. 
It  is  not  the  mere  number  of  repetitions  which 
determines  the  final  worth  of  an  impression,  but 
the  frequency  of  the  repetitions.  When  a  stone 
is  dropped  into  a  pond  of  water  the  waves  at 
once  begin  to  move  outward  from  the  center  of 
disturbance.  The  farther  they  move  the  less 
distinct  thev  become,  until  finally 
'''Tecai?'  "**  t'ley  are  practically  beyond  the 
range  of  visual  recall.  We 
say  we  can  no  longer  see  them.  This  figures  in 
a  way  the  career  of  impressions  in  the  mind. 
The  longer  they  are  left  unnoted  the  more  diffi- 
cult is  the  power  of  recall.  Finally  we  say  they 
are  beyond  recall.  The  thing  to  note  is  that 
while  they  are  relatively  active  in  consciousness 
they  should  be  recalled  again  and  again  until  the 
mind  becomes  facile  in  the  power  of  recall. 

The  training  of  the  memory  is  not  the  whole 
of  an  education ;  but  it  is  a  valuable  part.  To 
know  a  thing  implies  the  power  to  recall  it.  Of 
what  use  is  teaching  if  its  results  do  not  become 


54  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

permanent  possessions  of  the  soul?  It  is  my  be- 
lief that  these  memory  images  may  be  so  taught 
that  they  will  outlive  the  body  and  remain  with 
us  for  all  eternity.  To  hold  this  belief  dignifies 
the  teaching  process  and  honors  the  great  Giver 
of  the  soul.     It  also  adds  to  the  responsibility  of 

the  teacher.  We  must  not  lightly 
^EdlTcTtJon*'      regard    our    teaching    processes 

nor  thoughtlessly  select  our 
teaching  materials.  The  memory  is  a  splendid 
auxiliary  to  the  higher  thought  processes ;  since 
it  is  the  memory  that  must  give  permanency  to 
their  activities  by  holding  the  results  clearly  and 
readily  in  consciousness  for  use.  When  once  a 
thing  has  been  clearly  taught,  the  teacher  should 
develop  occasions  for  its  frequent  recall.  This  is 
most  important.  It  renders  knowledge  facile.  It 
flows  readily,  easily,  freely,  in  the  mind.  It 
makes  knowledge  usable. 

In  your  Sunday-school  class,  follow  clear  in- 
struction with  judicious  drill.  Think  how  many 
things  that  you  once  knew  are  gone  beyond  re- 
call, because  you  did  not  have  them  drilled  into 
your  memory  by  frequent  repetition.  There  is 
nothing  so  senseless  as  to  drill  upon  trivial  or 
non-understood  things.  Avoid  that  if  you  love 
a  child's  soul ;  but  consider  how  unjustifiable  is 
a  teaching  process  that  does  not  carry  knowledge 
to  the  point  where  it  becomes  permanently  use- 


SOME   FACTS   CONCERNING   MEMORY  55 

fill.  I  ask  you  to  give  me  the  answer  to  the 
question :  "  Seven  times  six  are  how  many  ?  " 
You  know  instantly.  You  have 
Memory  and  Drill  been  drilled  on  that.  You  know 
it  in  a  usable  way.  "  Seven 
times  sixteen  are  how  many  ?  "  You  are  not  so 
sure  of  your  answer.  You  may  want  pencil  and 
pad  for  that,  or  you  may  do  as  one  of  my  pupils 
did,  say  seven  times  eight  are  fifty-six,  and  two 
times  fifty-six  are  one  hundred  and  twelve.  Note 
how  he  had  to  change  the  problem  into  forms 
that  were  drilled  into  him  before  he  could  men- 
tally assert  a  conclusion.  We  must  deepen  the 
impression  if  we  are  to  secure  proper  and  prompt 
expression. 

You  will  not  forget  that  good  teaching  also 
requires  that  the  new  thought-image  is  to  be  as- 
sociated with  other  thought-images.  Thus  the 
binding  force  of  association  is  utilized  to  enrich 
knowledge.  Knowledge  is  not  literary  hash.  It 
is  an  organic  meal,  each  part  of  which  is  to  com- 
plement each  other  part,  and  the  laws  of  associa- 
tion are  to  bind  them  into  a  unit. 

Every  time  a  former  impression,  or  mental 
image,  is  recalled,  it  is  brought  into  some  new 
relation  to  other  images.  Even  as  simple  an 
image  as  that  of  dog  is  made  richer  by  recall. 
This  enrichment  is  secured  not  only  by  increased 
vividness,  but  also  by  increased  association  with 


56  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

other  images  in  the  mind.  Every  time  I  recall 
the  figure  of  Jesus  standing  at  dawn  by  the  mist- 
mantled  shore  of  Galilee,  the 
MeroT.ml;is  %ht  Striking  across  the  hill-top, 
the  small  fire  glowing  in  the 
twilight,  and  illuminating  the  face  of  the  Master, 
— that  splendid  scene  of  a  great  life-light  on  a 
background  of  night  and  darkness, — I  can  in- 
creasingly comprehend  his  invitation  to  the  night- 
toilers  :  "Come  and  break  your  fast."  I  have 
pondered  this  scene  until  it  is  so  vivid  that  I  al- 
most discern  the  awe,  the  sacred  hush,  that  over- 
came the  disciples ;  and  the  glow  of  the  fire  seems 
to  me  to  illuminate  a  face  that  shines  upon  my 
soul  all  through  the  day,  all  through  the  night. 
I  bless  God  for  that  picture  of  hope,  of  help,  of 
Him. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Note  that  the  percept  is  also  called  an  idea  or  an 
image.     Do  you  see  why  this  is  necessary? 

Can  you  distinguish  clearly  the  real  cat,  the  picture 
cat,  the  idea  or  image  cat,  and  the  word  cat?  In  what 
order  should  these  be  presented  to  the  mind  of  the 
pupil? 

If  we  reverse  the  true  order,  what  is  likely  to  result? 

Name  any  instance  known  to  you  in  which  the  idea 
recalled  did  not  agree  with  the  thing  it  represented. 
What  explanation  can  you  offer  of  this  confused  result? 


SOME   FACTS   CONCERNING   MEMORY  5/ 

A  child  that  had  never  before  seen  a  fern  called  it 
"a  pot  of  green  feathers."    Do  you  see  why? 

If  you  have  not  thought  of  your  primer  for  many 
days,  where  was  the  knowledge  of  the  primer  since  last 
you  thought  of  it  until  now?  Could  you  have  recalled 
it  at  any  moment  of  this  intervening  time? 

Do  we  ever  really  forget? 

Do  we  know  a  fact  when  we  can  repeat  it  from 
memory? 

Consider  the  permanency  of  knowledge  once  set  in  the 
human  soul. 

How  do  }'ou  proceed  to  make  easy  the  power  of  the 
child  to  recall  what  you  have  once  taught? 

What  is  the  secret  of  interest  in  review  work? 

What  is  the  relation  of  memory  training  to  the  whole 
problem  of  education? 

Consider  what  drill  means  in  education. 

What  do  the  laws  of  association  do  with  the  facts  in 
memory  ? 


VI 

RETENTION  AND   RECOLLECTION 

np  wo  important  things  for  the  teacher  arise 
at  this  point.  If  the  impression  is  to  be 
deep  and  abiding  it  must  be  made  when  the  at- 
tention is  aglow  with  interest,  i.  The  fact  we 
wish  to  impress  must  be  given  with  directness 
and  with  emphasis.  You  have  often  noticed  the 
tendency  of  children  to  study  aloud.  It  is  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  sound  of  the 
"^'Tetenuoi'"'  ^ords  helps  deepen  the  impres- 
sion. I  have  known  persons 
who  would  nod  the  head,  tap  with  their  fingers, 
or  stamp  their  feet  upon  the  floor  that  they  might 
in  these  ways  deepen  the  impression.  We  do 
know  that  a  change  in  voice,  a  tension  of  muscles, 
a  momentary  pause,  the  raising  of  the  hand,  the 
repetition  of  the  important  words — all  aid  in 
making  vivid  the  impression  in  the  mind  of  the 
learner.  We  recall  a  place  we  have  actually  seen 
better  than  one  we  have  read  about,  because  the 
place  seen  is  more  vividly  impressed, — its  image 
is  more  distinct, — than  is  that  of  the  place  we 
have  only  seen  indirectly  through  words.  Teach- 
ing through  objects  has  a  value  that  teaching 
through  words  cannot  possess. 
58 


RETENTION  AND  RECOLLECTION       59 

2.  The  impression  must  be  given  when  the 
mind  is  in  right  attitude  to  attend  to  it.  If  we  are 
to  retain  the  impression  long,  we  must  acquire 
it  under  conditions  of  interest.     The  boy  who  is 

excited  over  a  game  of  ball  is 
"Reten^ion**^  able  for  a  long  while  to  recall 
the  details  of  the  game.  This 
keen  interest  secures  a  fineness  of  detail  that  is 
of  tremendous  significance.  How  futile  it  is  to 
try  to  secure  right  memory-products  when  the 
mind  of  the  pupil  is  attending  to  matters  foreign 
to  the  lesson  in  hand  ! 

3.  The  value  of  the  impression  is  heightened 
when  it  is  accompanied  by  strong  feeling.     This 
is  the  basis  of  our  great  orations,  our  great  hu- 
manitarian societies,  and  our  impassioned  litera- 
ture.     Men   and   women   under 

Retention*       the  stress  of  great  emotion  were 

so   vividly   impressed   that   they 

could  not  remain  quiet.     The  utterance  of  the 

feeling  was  imperative.     They  spoke,  they  sang, 

they  wrought,  because  they  felt  keenly. 

4.  The  value  of  the  impression  is  also  condi- 
tioned by   the   state   of   the   body.      If   we   are 

fatigued,    if   for   anv   bodily   or 
**of  mI!"''     "lental  cause   the   vigor  of   the 

mind  is  in  any  degree  impaired, 
the  product  in  memory  is  weak. 

This  analysis  may  seem  somewhat  tedious,  but 


60  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

if  you  will  give  it  careful  study  you  will  see  how 
depth  of  impression  is  secured  through  attention. 

Note  in  the  next  place  that  if  the  impression  is 
to  be  retained  it  must  be  frequently  repeated. 
The  great  bulk  of  our  images  answers  to  objects 
that  we  have  seen  again  and  again.  The  more 
frequently  we  recall  an  image  to  consciousness 
the  more  enduring  will  be  the  image.  This  law 
is  so  obvious  that  it  has  always  been  used  by 
teachers,  and  often  to  the  abuse  of  the  memory 
instead  of  its  training.  Masses  of  unrelated  and 
non-understood  things  are  drilled  into  the  mem- 
ory, as  if  the  mere  ability  to  re- 
Repetition  peat  great  sums  of  things  were 
in  some  way  knowledge.  Thus 
arises  that  pernicious  process  of  cramming,  the 
bane  of  healthy  mental  growth  and  the  inevitable 
retreat  of  poor  teachers.  Things  thus  forced 
upon  memory  are  so  much  dead  wood.  They 
are  not  only  useless,  but  they  impair  the  memory 
for  its  proper  function,  which  is  to  hold  for  sub- 
sequent use  facts  of  knowledge  already  clearly 
understood  by  the  mind. 

The  function  of  memory  is  twofold, — to  re- 
tain and  to  recall  knowledge.  Let  us  now  con- 
sider the  conditions  under  which  knowledge  is 
most  easily  and  surely  recalled  through  an  act 
of  memory.  Note  that  there  is  a  predisposition 
to  recall  what  has  been  vividly  impressed.     All 


RETENTION  AND  RECOLLECTION       6 1 

that  our  study  can  do  is  to  point  out  the  condi- 
tions under  which  this  natural  tendency  will 
best  manifest  itself.  The  answer  to  this  inquiry 
is  found  in  the  experience,  common  to  us  all, 

by  which  we  attach  to  each  fact 
'Rlcoiiecuon*'     ^^   knowledge   some   other   fact 

of  knowledge.  The  greater  the 
number  of  these  attachments  or  relations,  the 
more  readily  is  each  fact  recalled.  Thus  we  en- 
deavor to  link  our  facts  together.  Every  such 
connection  makes  each  fact  in  the  series  more 
valuable,  because  it  is  thus  more  readily  recalled, 
it  is  more  usable ;  and  because  it  is  thus  enriched, 
it  has  a  wider  use.  Isolation  of  facts  in  the  mind 
is  as  fatal  to  mental  growth  as  is  isolation  of  the 
individual  to  social  progress.  The  value  of  fre- 
quent recall  of  memory  images  lies  in  the  at- 
tachments or  the  relations  they  thus  establish. 
It  is  a  most  interesting  study  to  trace  the  subtle 
connections  by  which  one  memory  image  is  re- 
called by  another.  All  these  connections  may 
be  grouped  under  general  laws  called  the  laws 
of  association.  These  association  laws  give  us 
the  explanation  of  the  power  to  recall  memory 

images.     They  are  usually  cata- 

As^oratfon        'o§'";^  ^^  the    (i)   law  of  Con- 
tiguity; (2)  law  of  similarity  or 
resemblance;  and   (3)   law  of  contrast.     Others 
are  sometimes  given. 


62  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

(i)  By  the  first  of  these  laws  we  find  it  rela- 
tively easy  to  associate  places,  things,  and  events 
that  lie  near  to  each  other.  Experiences  which 
occur  together  usually  suggest  each  other.  When 
one  is  recalled,  the  other  is  likely  also  to  arise 
in  consciousness.  I  was  in  Louisiana  at  the  time 
of  the  great  flood  in  western  Pennsylvania. 
These  two  facts  have  seemingly  no  relation,  and 
yet  I  seldom,  perhaps  never,  recall  my  trip  from 
Shreveport  to  Monroe  that  I  do  not  also  recall 
the  awful  loss  of  life  at  Johnstown.  The  two 
things  came  together,  and  the  one  recalls  the 
other.  The  association  is  fixed ;  the  images  are 
wedded.  What  God  thus  joins  together,  we  can- 
not put  asunder.  When  I  recall  the  Sunday  after- 
noons of  my  boyhood  summers,  there  always 
arises  the  fragrant  memory  of  walks  in  the  forest 
with  my  father.  But  why 
Contiguity  enumerate?  The  law  is  written 
over  all  our  experiences.  The 
thing  to  remember  is  that  no  unlovely  memory 
shall  attach  to  the  experiences  of  our  youthful 
years  in  the  study  of  God's  Word.  Let  all  the  as- 
sociations of  that  study  be  wholesome  and 
sweet  and  helpful.  Thus  we  shall  permanently 
predispose  the  soul  of  the  child  to  a  sincere  love 
for  the  better  life  and  its  lessons  as  we  have 
endeavored  to  impress  them, 

(2)  Things  that  in  some  intrinsic  manner  re-. 


RETENTION    AND    RECOLLECTION  63 

semble  one  another  arc  usually  so  grouped  that 
their  images  mutually  aid  one  another  in  recall. 
As  I  think  of  Christmas  giving,  I  recall  the  ob- 
servance of  this  act  in  the  island  of  Porto  Rico. 
There  the  gift-giving  occurs  at  the  anniversary 
of  the  coming  of  the  wise  men  from  the  East,  who 
came  with  gifts  to  Him  whose  star  they  saw  in 
the  east,  1  can  yet  in  memory  see  the  grass- 
filled  boxes  outside  the   doors  of  the   peasants, 

and  the  simple  faith  of  a  child- 
Resembiance      hood  that  belicvcs  the  wise  men 

will  come  on  the  backs  of 
donkeys.  If  a  child  has  been  naughty,  the 
donkeys  eat  the  grass  and  leave  the  box  empty. 
If,  on  the  contrary,  the  child  has  been  good,  the 
fragrant  grass  becomes  the  depository  of  the 
gifts  that  the  wise  men  bear  for  those  that  are 
worthy.  While  I  write  this,  a  flood  of  similar 
observances  in  all  parts  of  the  world  is  recalled, 
and  while  I  ponder  upon  the  world-wide  custom, 
my  heart  catches  itself  with  a  great  joy  as  I  re- 
call the  One  in  whose  honor  all  this  is  done. 
This  is  but  a  type  of  a  form  of  association  that 
knits  together  in  memory  vast  groups  of  related 
images.  A  wise  teacher  always  seeks  to  establish 
association  by  resemblance. 

(3)  Things  that  in  some  manner  suggest  op- 
position or  contrast  are  generally  so  grouped  in 
memory  that  they  mutually   recall   each  other. 


64  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

How  full  our  lives  are  of  contradictory  things 
that  thrust  themselves  forward  in  association. 
Upon  Thanksgiving  Day,  when  we  had  our  home 
dinners,  how  common  was  the  remark,  "  I  wish 
every  family  in  the  city  might  to-day  have  as 
good  a  meal."  It  was  our  own  comfort  in  asso- 
ciation with  the  needs  of  others  that  caused  us 

thus  to  recall  the  two  together. 
Contrast         The    fabric   of   our    thought   is 

filled  with  these  contrasted  pic- 
tures of  sorrow  and  joy,  of  pleasure  and  pain, 
of  health  and  sickness,  of  right  and  wrong,  of 
life  and  death.  The  Bible  itself  is  largely  a  rec- 
ord of  the  conflict  between  two  great  opposing 
forces, — good  and  evil,  God  and  the  evil  one. 
Good  teaching  notes  this  form  of  association,  and 
endeavors  to  impress  truth  by  positive  ideas  of 
what  truth  is,  and  by  negative  ideas  of  what  it  is 
not.  There  is  thus  a  basis  in  this  law  for  positive 
teaching  and  for  negative  teaching.  We  do  what 
is  right  by  knowing  what  the  right  is,  and  also 
by  knowing  what  it  is  not. 

One  finds  in  these  natural  laws  of  association 
most  important  guidance  in  teaching.  The  wise 
teacher  will  use  his  materials  of  instruction  in 
such  a  way  as  to  occasion  in  the  mind  large 
groups  of  related  truths,  bound  together  by  every 
law  of  association  through  which  the  mind  oper- 
ates.   In  this  way  each  new  truth  becomes  a  part 


RETENTION    AND    RECOLLECTION  65 

of  a  system  of  thought.  It  is  enriched,  and  it 
enriches  by  every  proper  association  thus  es- 
tabHshed. 

There  are  schemes  of  association  that  are  de- 
vised to  trick  the  memory  into  grouping  things 
that  are  not  naturally  related.  They  are  called 
memory  systems.  They  employ  some  form  of 
mnemonics  to  take  the  place  of  a  natural  law. 
From  all  these  keep  yourself  free.  If  they  have 
merit,  it  is  due  to  their  use  of  natural  laws, 
which  had  better  be  used  instead.  If  they  are 
opposed  to  these  laws,  they  are  in  the  end  per- 
nicious. Nothing  can  be  devised  that  is  quite 
so  useful  as  the  laws  God  has  set  in  the  soul. 
Let  us  discover  these  laws  and  follow  them. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Consider  the  value  of  directness  and  of  simple  lan- 
guage in  teaching. 

What  things  in  your  experience  as  a  pupil  in  the 
S-inday-school  do  you  recall  most  vividly?  What  sug- 
gestion does  this  offer  to  you? 

If  fatigue  has  something  to  do  with  memory  results, 
has  it  also  sotnething  to  do  with  teaching?  What  will 
the  amount  of  sleep  you  secure  Saturday  night  have  to 
do  with  your  usefulness  as  a  teacher  the  next  day? 

How  do  you  secure  repetition  without  at  the  same 
time  resorting  to  the  cramming  process  in  teaching? 

Just  what  is  the  legitimate  use  of  memory? 


66  THE   MAKING   OF   A  TEACHER 

Study  your  own  mind  processes  to  verify  the  state- 
ment that  the  mind  naturally  tends  to  recall  former  facts 
of  knowledge.     Is  this  recall  a  pleasurable  activity? 

How  do  you  enrich  a  fact  of  knowledge? 

Outline  the  laws  of  association,  and  write  a  paragraph 
based  upon  your  own  experience  illustrating  each  law. 

Write  out  at  length  the  laws  of  teaching  that  a  study 
of  the  laws  of  association  suggests. 

What  laws  of  association,  not  named  here,  are  sug- 
gested to  you  by  a  study  of  your  own  processes  of  re- 
call? 


VII 

THE   BUILDING   OF   IDEALS 

"jV/T  EMORY  is  the  soul's  storehouse.  In  it  is 
treasured  all  our  past.  From  it  we  draw 
from  time  to  time  the  elements  of  knowledge  we 
need  for  present  use,  in  determining  both  what 
to  do  with  the  new  perceptions  that  are  con- 
stantly forming  in  the  soul,  and  also  what  to 
choose  for  guidance  in  conduct.  Thus  all  that 
we  have  known  is  of  use  in  interpreting  new 
knowledge  and  in  directing  us  to  additional 
knowledge. 

A  new  object  is  presented  to  my  senses.     I 

am  not  aware  of  having  perceived  it  before.     I  am 

surprised.    *'  What  is  it?  "  I  ask. 

^^KnowtraLr*^  ^^  °"^^  ^^^  ^y  remembered 
knowledge  that  in  any  way  re- 
sembles it  rushes  to  my  aid.  The  soul  is  resolved 
to  subdue  it,  if  it  can.  It  can,  if  it  is  not  entirely 
new.  But  if  it  is  entirely  new  I  cannot  answer 
the  inquiry.  The  boy  that  for  the  first  time  tasted 
a  new  kind  of  candy, — called  in  the  trade  a  sour- 
ball, — found  it  at  last  sweet,  then  transparent, 
then  hard,  and  finally  thought  he  had  identified 
it.  He  said :  "  It  is  sweet  ice."  This  was  the 
best  he  could  do  with  it. 

67 


68  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

I  recall  a  series  of  events.  There  is  a  break  in 
the  series.  Some  additional  element  is  needed 
to  complete  it.  Through  this  power  of  recall  I 
am  made  familiar  with  my  present  mental  stock ; 
I  am  also  made  aware  of  my  lack.  Knowing 
what  I  need  I  am  able  to  institute  inquiries  that 
will  secure  it.  Thus  my  knowledge  becomes  in- 
creasingly complete. 

Memory    recall    is    exact    recall.      The  thing 
comes  again  just  as  it  was.    We  recognize  it  not 
only  as  a  thing  of  the  past,  but  the  exact  repro- 
duction  of   the   past.     Is   there 
Exact  Recall       any  Other  method  of  recall  ?    Do 
we  possess  the  power  to  separate 
past  knowledge  and  recall  only  chosen  parts  of  it, 
and  combine   them   into   an   object   of   thought, 
each  part   of   which    is    a    past    experience,    but 
which,  as  a  whole,  is  not  at  all  like  anything  in 
our  past  knowledge?     We  have  such  a  power. 
It  is  at  once  the  most  fertile  and  the  most  dan- 
gerous power  we  possess.     We  call  it  Imagina- 
tion, by  which  term  we  designate  the  power  of 
the  soul  to  work  up  its  past  ex- 
""oeiiTed**"       periences    into    new     forms    of 
thought.    It  seems  as  if  the  soul 
wearies  of  exact  recall,  and  decides   to   follow 
its  own  caprice,  its  own  order  of  procedure.     I 
have  known  boys,  accompanying  their  father  for 
a  walk,  obey  the  restraints  of  good  form  until 


THE    BUILDING    OF    IDEALS  69 

the  native  woods  were  reached,  when  with  a 
shout  and  a  leap  all  objective  guidance  was 
thrown  to  the  winds,  and  the  boys  ran  and  leaped 
and  shouted  and  reveled  in  the  glorious  freedom 
of  unrestrained  activity.  So  it  seems  to  me  that 
at  times  the  soul  breaks  away  from  the  routine 
of  memory  recall,  and  virtually  proclaims  its 
purpose  to  set  in  consciousness  what  it  most  en- 
joys, regardless  of  the  relation  this  may  have  or 
not  have  to  any  real  experience  of  the  past. 

Thus  the  soul  builds  only  chosen  elements,  re- 
jecting all  that  are  broken  or  unlovely  or  unwor- 
thy, into  an  ideal  which  it  cherishes  vastly  more 
than  any  real  because  it  is  the  best  combination 
it  can  make  from  the  best  elements  it  can  choose 
out  of  its  whole  treasury  of  knowledge.  The 
function  of  this  power  of  the  soul  is  to  create  our 
ideals.  God  wants  us  to  enjoy  not  alone  the 
finest  scenes  that  fall  within  our 

Function  of  ,  t  ,  i.  •  ^i 

Imagination  '^'c"'  he  wauts  US  to  eujoy  the 
finest  things  our  souls  can  enter- 
tain. Hence  he  has  given  us  this  power  of  re- 
creation by  which  we  may  make  for  ourselves 
a  world  after  our  own  wish,  peopled  as  we  pre- 
fer, and  abounding  in  such  life  and  incident  as 
we  can  invest  with  the  fullest  measure  of  feel- 
ing, and  is  consequently  to  us  most  delightful. 
We  know  these  products  to  be  distinct  from 
memory   products   after   we  have   created   them 


70  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

often  enough  to  become  familiar  with  the  fact 
that  they  cannot,  as  a  whole,  be  referred  to  our 
past  experience  for  verification. 

Thus  by  eliminating  the  things  we  care  least 
for,  and  by  substituting  others  that  we  do  care 
for,  we  build,  bit  by  bit,  our  beautiful  ideals, — 
the  soul-images  that  so  potentially  influence  our 
lives.  How  full  of  feeling  is  this  activity !  How 
we  revel  in  it  because  we  are  free  from  all  limi- 
tations !  Our  minds  are  like  the  river  that  "glid- 
eth  at  his  own  sweet  will."  Thus  we  make  the 
picture  life  of  thought  which  at  last  we  carve 
into  a   life  of  deeds.     Without 

Power  of  Ideals  ideals  there  could  be  no  progress, 
— only  endless  and  changeless, 
dreary  and  hopeless  monotony.  Without  ideals 
our  minds  would  become  like  the  wayside  pool, — 
stagnant  and  deadly.  With  ideals  they  become 
like  mountain  rills  that  leap  from  moss-rimmed 
rocks  in  endless  showers  of  silver  spray,  clothed 
in  rainbows,  and  bearing  in  their  sweep  life  and 
beauty  and  grandeur.  Happy  the  child  whose 
unfettered  spirit  may  build  after  its  own  plans 
the  terraced  slopes,  the  sun-crowned  spires,  the 
carved  pillars,  and  the  golden  portals  of  the 
temple  of  truth.  Into  it  his  spirit  may  pass  to 
find  the  sweetest  communions,  and  to  gather  in- 
spiration for  the  highest  achievements.  It  is  the 
soul's  most  holy  place.     Jdere  the  divinity  that 


THE   BUILDING   OF    IDEALS  7I 

is  in  US  is  enshrined.  Here  we  may  worship  and 
adore.  The  soul  is  most  joyous  when  most  free. 
The  desire  to  build  ideals  is  innate.  We  long  to 
become  what  our  ideals  figure.     The  struggle  is 

always  from  the  thing  we  are 
Lowell  to    the    thing    we    wish    to    be. 

Lowell  well  portrays  this  in  his 
poem  entitled  "  Longing  " : 

Of  all  the  myriad  moods  of  mind 

That  through  the  soul  come  thronging, 
Which  one  was  e'er  so  dear,  so  kind, 

So  beautiful  as  Longing? 
The  thing  we  long  for,  that  we  are 

For  one  transcendent  moment, 
Before  the  Present  poor  and  bare 

Can  make  its  sneering  comment. 

Still,  through  our  paltry  stir  and  strife. 

Glows  down  the  wished  Ideal, 
And  Longing  moulds  in  clay  what  Life 

Carves  in  the  marble  Real; 
To  let  the  new  life  in,  we  know, 

Desire  must  ope  the  portal ; — 
Perhaps  the  longing  to  be  so 

Helps  make  the  soul  immortal. 

Longing  is  God's  fresh  heavenward  will 

With  our  poor  earthward  striving; 
We  quench  it  that  we  may  be  still 

Content  with  merely  living; 
But,  would  we  learn  that  heart's  full  scope 

Which  we  are  hourly  wronging. 
Our  lives  must  climb  from  hope  to  hope 

And  realize  our  longing. 


72  THE    MAKING   OF    A   TEACHER 

Ah !  let  us  hope  that  to  our  praise 

Good  God  not  only  reckons 
The  moments  when  we  tread  his  ways, 

But  when  the  spirit  beckons, — 
That  some  slight  good  is  also  wrought 

Beyond  self-satisfaction. 
When  we  are  simply  good  in  thought, 

Howe'er  we  fail  in  action. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  this  power  to  create  ideals 
is  an  intentional  power.  It  is  different  from 
dream-life  and  from  the  air-castle  life  that  some 
associate  with  it.  This  association  has  been  un- 
fortunate. This  association  has  led  many  to  re- 
gard the  imagination  as  a  sort  of  capricious, 
dreamy,  hazy,  and  useless  power.  It  has  even 
led    us    to    regard    the   man   of 

An  Intentional     j^^^j^    ^^    ^    rainbow-chaser,    a 

Power  ' 

dreamer,  an  impracticable  and 
altogether  unworthy  person.  This  is  neither 
just  nor  reasonable.  It  is  in  fact  a  most  valuable 
power,  one  that  we  should  love  well  enough  to 
give  it  adequate  exercise,  and  understand  well 
enough  to  give  it  thoughtful  consideration  in  a 
study  of  the  complex  soul  of  a  child. 

Through  this  power  we  bring  our  rich  feeling- 
life  into  happy  combination  with  our  thought- 
life.  The  imagination  is  the  feeling-power  of  the 
soul.  By  it  we  invest  the  barren  facts  of  knowl- 
edge with  all  the  glow  and  ardor  and  fragrance 
which  fill  the  recesses  of  the  soul.    Note  that  the 


THE    BUILDING    OF    IDEALS  73 

imagination    builds    only    concrete    images.      It 

breaks  up  our  abstract  and  general  notions  into 

individual  and  concrete  pictures. 

Imagination  and      ^j^j^   j^  ^^^      -^  jj^^  ^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^j^^ 
Feeling  -' 

feeling-life.  I  think  of  leader- 
ship, and  there  arises  in  my  soul  an  image  of  that 
heroic  leader  who  for  years  fed  his  father-in- 
law's  flocks,  and  for  the  same  time  fed  upon  the 
thoughts  that  God  gave  him,  until  he  became 
wise  enough  and  strong  enough  to  speak  for  God 
in  Egypt,  to  act  for  God  in  the  wilderness,  and 
to  talk  with  God  in  the  morning,  alone,  above 
the  mountain  mists.  In  my  imagination  there 
looms  up  the  heroic-souled  Moses.  I  think  of 
noble  womanhood,  and  there  comes  to  me  an 
image  of  that  queenly-spirited  and  really  noble 
woman — Ruth : 

"When  sick  for  home, 
She  stood  in  tears,  amid  the  alien  corn." 

I  think  of  father-love,  and  there  sweeps  into  my 
vision  the  broken-voiced  and  heart-wrung  king 
crying  in  the  agony  of  his  soul,  "  O  my  son  Ab- 
salom, my  son,  my  son  Absalom !  "  How  infi- 
nitely superior  as  teaching  material  are  these 
warm,  concrete  pictures  in  the  imagination  to 
the  cold  abstractions  of  memory  and  of  judg- 
ment! How  the  imagination  speaks  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  soul,  and  the  dry  bones  of  thought 


74  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

stand  up,  clothed  with  the  flesh  of  feeling,  and 
thrilled  with  the  warm  pulse  of  life.  Oh,  my 
teacher !  ponder  well  this  power  of  the  soul.  Its 
issues  are  so  far-reaching  and  so  fruitful. 

Imagination  is  limited  to  our  perceptions.  We 
cannot  ideally  create  a  world  containing  elements 
wholly  outside  of  our  experience.  The  ideals  of 
the  blind  are  colorless.  The  ideals  of  the  deaf 
are  soundless.  The  ideals  of  the  city  child  lack 
the  rich  imagery  of  the  country.  The  ideals  of 
the  country  boy  lack  the  elements  common  to  the 
city  boy.  A  girl  educated  in  Ohio,  where  she 
never  saw  a  mountain,  and  her  teacher  had  never 
given  her  any  notion  of  mountain  beyond  its  ele- 
vation, wept  when  she  came  east  and  drew  near 
to  the  great  mountains  of  Pennsylvania.  She 
explained  that  she  was  frightened  lest  the  train 
should  break  asunder  on  the  very  crest  of  the 
mountain.  Upon  inquiry,  it  was  ascertained  that 
she  thought  the  top  of  the  mountain  less  than  a 
foot  in  width,  with  sharp  slopes  on  either  side. 

The  ideals  of  all  of  us  are  bound  up  with  our 
experience.  If,  then,  we  wish  to  build  beautiful 
and  true  images  of  the  higher  life,  we  must  set 

the  elements  of  this  life  vividly 
"''Ydeau  *"       ^"  *^^  soul,  and  endeavor,  by  all 

the  skill  at  our  command,  to 
help  the  pupil  to  erect  right  ideals  of  the  life  he 
should  live.     The  most  elusive  power  of  soul  is 


THE   BUILDING   OF   IDEALS  75 

the  power  of  feeling.  To  capture  the  feelings  is 
to  control  the  soul's  citadel.  Study  carefully  the 
Bible  references  to  the  heart,  the  figurative  foun- 
tain of  feeling.  You  will  then  begin  to  under- 
stand why  the  Psalmist  writes,  "Thy  word  have 
I  hid  in  my  heart."  You  will  know  with  new 
meaning  the  value  of  the  wise  man's  injunction: 
"  Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence."  You  will 
also  begin  to  comprehend  the  great  beatitude : 
"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart."  If  this  power 
of  feeling  is  so  potent,  let  us  ask  ourselves  prayer- 
fully, "How  may  the  feeling-life  be  trained?" 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

How  do  you  distinguish  between  a  product  of  the 
memory  and  a  product  of  the  imagination? 

What  do  the  following  words  suggest  to  you :  Carrara, 
Miniver,  Rococo.  Vedas?  If  you  cannot  answer  the 
question  "  What  is  it  ? "  in  each  case,  what  do  you  do  ? 
What  does  this  suggest  to  you  as  a  teacher  ? 

Recall  any  related  group  of  ideas,  as  the  Presidents 
of  the  United  States  in  order,  the  kings  of  Israel  in 
order,  the  cities  Paul  visited  on  his  way  to  Rome.  If 
you  fail  to  recall  all  of  the  series,  what  do  you  do  ? 

Do  you  see  any  reason  for  calling  imagination  a 
dangerous  power?     Ponder  this  thoughtfully. 

In  what  way  is  our  ideal  related  to  the  real?  Which 
is  the  more  potential?  Discuss  the  way  we  know  an 
imagination   product   from   a  memory  product.     What 


76  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

is  meant  by  the  imagination's  power  to  create  ideals 
being  an   intentional   power? 

Put  your  idea  of  goodness,  of  kindness,  of  helpful- 
ness, and  of  faith,  into  a  concrete  image.  Study  what  you 
did  in  each  case. 

Are  you  trying  Sunday  by  Sunday  to  give  your  pupils 
the  materials  of  thought  with  which  they  may  through 
imagination  build  a  beautiful  life? 


VIII 

FEELING  AND  IMAGINATION 

T  N  THE  preceding-  chapter  the  question  is 
raised,  How  may  the  feehng-Hfe  be  ntihzed 
in  the  education  of  a  soul  ?  The  answer  to  this 
inquiry  is  as  difficult  as  it  is  important.  We  all 
agree  that  education  must  influence  the  whole 
life  of  the  soul.  It  must  not  be  addressed  to  the 
thought-life  alone,  but  must  also  touch  the  feel- 
ing-life and  the  will-life.  Our  educational  litera- 
ture is  filled  with  elaborate  discussions  of  the 
thought-life,  and  some  discussions  of  the  will- 
life,  but  really  no  clear  discus- 
SnatTon  ^^ou  of  the  feeling-life.  When 
we  considered  interest  in  its 
relation  to  attention,  the  feelings  thrust  them- 
selves into  the  discussion.  Here,  again,  in  a  discus- 
sion of  the  imagination  these  feeling  elements 
claim  our  thought.  In  fact,  every  time  we 
drop  the  plummet  to  the  inner  depths  of  our 
discussion  we  shall  invariably  touch  some  aspect 
of  feeling. 

Dr.  Holland  characterizes  the  atmosphere  in 
the  Garden  of  Eden  as  "  uneasy  with  its  burden 
of  vitality."     T  have  been  in  a  tropical  forest, 

n 


78  THE   MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

deep  in  a  valley  of  Porto  Rico,  where  the  atmos- 
phere seemed  surcharged  with  the  plastic  ele- 
ments of  life.  Light  and  warmth  and  moisture 
were  so  beautifully  blended  that  it  seemed  only 
necessary  to  disturb,  by  a  wave  of  the  hand,  the 
delicate  poise  of  elements,  and  there  would  burst 
forth  a  wealth  of  bloom,  a  pro- 
Tho"ifght  fusion  of  life,  to  thrill  the  be- 
holder. One  felt  instinctively 
that  life,  nascent  but  real,  was  in  the  very  ele- 
ments about  him.  So,  it  seems  to  me,  it  is  in  the 
soul.  Everywhere,  brooding  like  an  over-soul 
upon  the  thought-life,  is  this  marvelous  mystery 
of  feeling.  One  can  feel  the  tension,  one  can  al- 
most vision  the  sweep  of  its  power,  as  it  surges 
like  a  fragrant  tide  of  life  over  the  ranges  of  our 
thoughts.  There  is  a  strangely  solemn  pause. 
We  await  the  issue.  This  feeling  is  gathering 
strength.  At  last  it  breaks  over  all  barriers,  and 
sweeps  upward  into  thought.  The  tension  is  re- 
lieved. The  vague  sweep  of  our  feeling  is  crys- 
tallized into  thought,  and  rests  in  consciousness 
as  an  element  of  knowledge. 

"All  thought  begins  in  feeling, — wide 
In  the  great  mass  its  base  is  hid, 
And,  narrowing  up  to  thought,  stands  glorified, 
A  moveless  pyramid." 

Thought  that  is  born  of  feeling,  and  is  "un- 


FEELING    AND    IMAGINATION  79 

easy  with  its  burden  of  vitality,"  is  thought  en- 
ergized for  the  will.     It  issues  in  action.     We 
feel    keenly,   know   clearly,   and 
Feenngand       ^^^  promptly.     The  act  is  con- 
ditioned   more    by    our    feeling 
than  it  is  by  our  thinking.     We  act  because  we 
feel,  and  as  we  feel.    Hence  to  capture  the  citadel 
of  action,  the  cohorts  of  conduct,  we  must  re- 
gard the  feelings.     When  our  feelings  are  crys- 
tallized into  thought  elements  they  naturally  seek 
the  imagination  as  their  channel  of  expression. 
The  imagination  lies  midway  between  feeling  and 
thinking.     On  the  one  side   it  shades  into  the 
indefinable  elements  of  feeling ;  on  the  other  side, 
into  the  definable  limits  of  thought.    The  imagi- 
nation may  be  figured  as  the  bridge  that  spans 
the  valley  between  the  ranges  of  feeling  and  of 
thought.    Over  this  bridge  our  feelings  sweep  to 
be  organized   into  thoughts.     Their  passing  is 
most  interesting.     The  result  is 
^%^IufS°*      most  perplexing.     In  the  vistas 
of  thought  we  arrange  our  ideas 
deliberately  for  some  selected  service.     Over  the 
bridge  swarm  our  feelings,  and  lo !  the  ordered 
array  of  ideas  is  broken,  the  unexpected  has  hap- 
pened.   The  issue  is  action  wholly  unlike  what  we 
planned,  and  frequently  wholly  beyond  our  con- 
trol.   We  say  we  are  carried  away  by  our  feel- 
ings, swept  from  our  thought  moorings  by  the 


8o  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

tide  of  emotion.     Let  us  ponder  this  mysterious 
process. 

If  we  can  figure  imagination  as  a  bridge  over 
which  our  emotions  sweep  into  our  thought-Hfe 
and  thence  to  our  voHtional-hfe,  a  number  of  in- 
teresting things  arise  for  our  study.  Thought 
may  soUcit  feeUng,  may  beckon  to  it  to  come  over 
and  join  in  the  complex  of  our  ordered  Hfe  of 
thought.  This  is  especially  true  after  experience 
has  demonstrated  the  enrichment  of  our  thought 
by  the  addition  of  feeling.  Our  thoughts  may 
be  enriched  in  various  ways.  We  note  now  only 
one  way, — by  the  addition  of  feeling.  I  heard  a 
good  man  say  that  when,  at  thirteen,  he  left  home 
for  college,  his  father  said  to  him :  "  My  son, 
if,  when  you  are  away  from 
Illustrations  liomc,  any  of  your  comrades  in- 
vite you  to  touch  even  one  drop 
of  liquor,  I  have  only  one  thing  to  say,  '  Remem- 
ber your  mother.'  "  The  sweep  of  feeling  from 
a  heart  full  of  mother-love  kept  his  hand,  from 
the  withering  curse.  As  I  write  these  words 
there  comes  to  me  a  picture  of  our  old  village 
doctor,  standing  in  my  father's  store  waiting  to 
receive  from  me  his  daily  mail.  As  the  pack- 
age was  passed  to  him,  he  looked  me  kindly  but 
earnestly  in  the  eye,  and  said :  "  Martin,  I  have 
known  your  family  in  this  valley  for  three  gen- 
erations.    I  never  knew  one  of  them  to  be  in- 


FEELING    AND    IMAGINATION  8 1 

toxicated.  See  to  it  that  you  do  not  break  the 
family  record."  It  was  the  best  temperance  ser- 
mon I  ever  heard. 

Feehng  may  be  weaker  than  thought,  and  the 
minghng  of  the  two  leaves  thought  in  control; 
or  it  may  be  stronger,  and  place  feeling  in  con- 
trol; or  they  may  be  so  evenly  matched  as  to 
leave  the  will  without  a  motive  strong  enough 
to  afford  guidance.  We  all  pass  under  the  as- 
pects of  the  struggle  between  feeling  and  thought, 
between  emotion  and  reflection,  between  passion 
and  purpose.  Sometimes  the  thought-power 
seems  to  have  strength  to  lift  the  draw  of  the 
bridge,  to  close  the  avenue  of  approach,  and  to 
compel  the  feelings  to  wait  and  wither  and  waste. 
In  the  meantime,  with  cold,  calculating  intellect 
we  allow  no  emotion  to  tinge  the  colorless  sky 
of  our  thought.  Against  such  a  stolid  and  resist- 
ing mind,  "  To-day,  if  ye  will  hear  his  voice, 
harden  not  your  heart."  There  is  no  justification 
for  the  idea,  so  widely  prevalent,  that  good 
thinking  must  be  thinking  devoid  of  feeling.    The 

wise  teacher  will  allow  the  feel- 
A  False  View      ing-life  of  the  child  to  fuse  with 

his  thoughts,  will  encourage  all 
that  rich  imagery  that  results,  will  be  careful  only 
that  the  emotions  which  are  at  first  crude  and 
untrained  become  at  last  refined  and  controlled. 
The  child  that  is  being  taught  about  the  loving 


82  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

Father  has  a  perfect  right  to  "  come  before  his 
presence  with  singing,"  to  "  enter  into  his  gates 
with  thanksgiving  "  and  with  gladness,  "  and  into 
his  courts  with  praise"  and  with  rejoicing.  To 
deny  him  this  need  of  his  soul  is  to  allow  his 
rich  feeling-life  at  the  first  opportune  moment  to 
run  into  riotous  rebellion  against  the  very  things 
we  most  desire  him  to  accept.  His  emotions  are 
not  to  be  driven  with  flaming  sword  and  wrathful 
menace  from  the  fragrant  fields  of  religious  truth. 
If  only  we  knew  how  much  better  it  is  to  be 
kindly  stern  and  sternly  kind,  than  simply  to  be 
sternly  stern  in  dealing  with  our  children  in  the 
Sunday-school ! 

If  we  do  banish  the  child's  emotions  from  our 
teaching  processes,  remember  that  these  same 
emotions  will  crowd  the  bridge,  will  pass  the 
gate,  and  sooner  or  later  break  down  all  barriers, 
overthrow  all  thought  restraint,  and  sweep  the 
child  on  to  his  doom.  I've  known  parents  and 
teachers  who  unwisely  undertook  to  do  this  very 
thing.  "  Crucify  all  pleasurable  activity,"  was 
the  cry.  Alas !  they  learned,  at  last,  that  God 
gave  us  these  emotions  that  we  might  train  them 
for  service,  that  we  might  marshal  them  like  an 
army  for  the  victories  of  the  soul. 

It  is  better  to  allow  the  normal  flow  of  feeling 
over  into  the  region  of  thought.  In  this  way 
both  thought  and  feeling  become  organized,  and 


FEELING    AND    IMAGINATION  83 

pass  under  the  control  of  the  will.  Note,  too, 
that  when  thought  is  stimulated  by  feeling  there 
is  at  once  a  mental  result  that  demands  expres- 
sion. We  do  not  always  act  as  we  think.  Our 
lives  might  be  ideally  moral  if  \ve  did  so.  There 
is  a  s-reat  sfulf  at  times  between  the  wav  we  think 
duty  and  the  way  we  act  it.  The  closing  of  this 
gulf  is  the  work  of  the  teacher  whose  interest  is 
moral  or  religious.  Conscience  is  the  revealer 
of  this  gulf.  By  conscience  we  are  made  aware 
of   the    difference    between    our 

What  Conscience     j^      j     y^       ■        thought     and     OUf 
Does  C5 

real  life  in  action.  Conscience 
seems  to  me  to  be  really  the  measure  of  this  dif- 
ference. When  the  difference  is  great,  the  ten- 
sion is  great.  We  say  conscience  is  aroused.  What 
really  happens  is  that  there  is  a  sense  of  pain, 
due  to  the  tension  by  which  we  realize  how  far  our 
conduct  falls  below  our  ideal.  When  we  do 
our  best,  w^hen  our  conduct  rises  to  the  plane  of 
our  ideal,  we  relieve  the  tension.  Conscience  is 
quiescent.  We  feel  no  pain.  We  have  acted  up  to 
our  thought-standard.  We  have  for  the  time 
lived  ideally.  Feeling  aids  conduct  to  reach  this 
high  plane.  It  is,  therefore,  of  tremendous  value 
in  molding  our  lives  on  the  ideal  side.  It  follows 
also  that  the  power  of  the  soul  that  builds  our 
ideals  is  a  power  most  intimately  identified  with 
the  phenomena  of  conscience. 


84  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

The  ideal  is  the  standard  set  in  the  soul  up  to 
which  conscience  strives  to  draw  our  conduct. 
If  we  are  living  below  our  best,  it  is  perhaps  due 
to  the  fact  that  we  lack  a  clear  ideal  of  that  best, 
or  it  may  be  that  we  have  so 
Defined  ^°"§^  ignored  the  beckonings  of 

our  ideal  that  it  is  no  longer  po- 
tent as  guidance  to  us.  We  may  live  so  long 
below  our  best  as  to  lose  the  power  to  reach  it. 
This  may  figure  the  state  of  mind  possessed  by 
the  habitually  base  man  or  woman.  In  that  event, 
the  only  human  relief  lies  in  building  a  new  ideal 
that  may  be  reached.  This  may  suggest  the 
problem  of  social  reform  in  a  score  of  direc- 
tions. 

But  the  child  may  be  saved  the  awful  struggle 
with  an  ofifended  ideal,  provided  wise  teaching 
makes  easy  and  constant  the  realization  of  its 
ideal.  Let  us  call  up  again  our  bridge  between 
thought  and  feeling.  If  the  feelings  sweep  over 
the  bridge,  and,  unchecked  by  thought,  rush  on 
to  action,  we  have  a  most  dangerous  condition. 
The  soul  is  in  the  thrall  of  unrestrained  passion. 
We  have  actions  that  are  frenzied,  intemperate, 
and  riotously  excessive.  We  have  the  quality  of 
the  mob.  We  are  crazed  by  passion.  This  is 
sometimes  seen  in  children  who  give  way  to  wild 
bursts  of  anger  and  other  base  emotions  that  out- 
rage all  thought-ideals,  and  that  seriously  menace 


FEELING    AND    IMAGINATION  85 

the  well-being  of  the  child.  The  will  is  under 
control  of  blind  passion.  The  thing  to  remem- 
ber is  that  feeling  must  be  tempered  by  thought 
before  it  is  a  wise  guide  to  the  will.  On  the  other 
hand,  thought  uninfluenced  by  feeling  is  at  times 
a  dangerous  guide  to  the  will.  Shakespeare 
figures  such  a  character  in  lago,  who  may  be 
characterized  as  a  sort  of  intellectual  devil.  Evi- 
dently it  is  the  judicious  blending  of  all  the  quali- 
ties of  soul  that  makes  for  sanity, — sanity  of 
thought,  sanity  of  feeling,  sanity  of  conduct. 

The  flow  of  feeling  over  the  bridge  in  child- 
hood is  more  steady  and  less  checked  than  when 
later  in  life  there  is  an  organized  thought-life  to 
Children's  intercept  it.  Children  are  im- 
conduct  pulsive.  Feeling  flows  unre- 
unstabie  strained  to  conduct.  Conduct  is 
not  wisely  regulated.  No  thought  ideal  has  as 
yet  been  set  up.  We  must  not,  however,  con- 
clude that  their  feelings  are  not  keen.  To  them 
pleasure  and  pain,  joy  and  sorrow,  are  not  only 
very  real,  but  very  acute.  Many  are  the  trage- 
dies of  childhood  that  to  mature  minds  seem 
trivial.  We  teach  wisely  only  as  we  keep  close 
to  the  realities  of  the  child.  We  must  become  as 
little  children  if  we  are  to  lead  them.  Remem- 
ber that  the  concrete,  living,  acting  qualities  of 
things  are  the  ones  from  which  the  child  most 
fully  secures  nutrition.     Press  your  lessons  into 


86  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

such  forms,  and  the  question  of  interest  is  set- 
tled. 

The  teacher  must  distinguish  carefully  be- 
tween true  imagination  and  those  wild  and  sud- 
den bursts  of  fancy  which  most  children  manifest 
at  some  time  or  other  in  the  development  of  their 
minds.  This  latter  phase  of  the  subject  is  some- 
times treated  of  as  fantasy,  by  which  word  we 
are  to  understand  the  power  of  the  soul  to  weave 
our  experiences  into  forms  that  are  absolutely 
unreal  and  unattainable.  These  grotesque  and 
fantastic  products  are  sometimes  spoken  of  as 
phantasms,  and  the  tendency  of  the  child  mind 
to  build  these  is  so  common  that  we  have  a  whole 
literature  developed  in  harmony  with  this  activ- 
ity.    It  is  the  literature  of  fable  and  fairy  tale 

and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  the 
Fantasy  purpose  of  which  seems  to  be  to 

give  nutrition  to  the  feelings 
and  to  enable  this  power  to  work  itself  off  in  the 
least  harmful  way.  There  is  no  law  of  the  mind 
to  govern  this  act.  We  seem  to  have  really  no 
part  in  it,  but  look  upon  the  act  as  if  it  were 
something  going  on  independent  of  us.  The 
amount  of  attention  is  small  and  the  products  are 
generally  valueless.  Unless  the  child  indulges  in 
this  activity  at  times  when  he  ought  to  be  en- 
gaged in  some  serious  matters, — that  is,  in  mat- 
ters that  are  specifically  self-directed, — the  pro- 


FEELING    AND    IMAGINATION  8/ 

cess  is  not  to  be  seriously  regarded.  The  child 
comes  through  the  period  witliout  apparent  in- 
jury, and  seems  to  be  aware  all  the  while  that 
there  is  no  reality  in  this  act.  The  process  con- 
tinues even  when  we  are  asleep,  because  the  soul 
never  ceases  to  act.  Alemory  itself  is  active  only 
in  a  suggestive  way ;  that  is  to  say,  there  seems 
to  be  a  willingness  on  the  part  of  the  memory  to 
allow  these  products  to  be  worked  up  without  any 
regard  to  the  result.  The  phenomena  of  this 
phase  of  imagination  need  only  to  be  recognized, 
but  not  studied  by  the  Sunday-school  teacher. 
His  work  is  not  with  these  side  activities,  save 
only  in  so  far  as  he  recognizes  what  they  are, 
and  makes  proper  note  of  their  appearance. 

The  imagination  proper,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  a  very  real  power,  and  its  products  are  perma- 
nent. It  is  in  one  aspect  a  dangerous  power. 
Let  us  understand  what  that  means.  Any  power 
which  reports  the  feeling-life  intimately  must  be 
trained  with  great  delicacy  and  care,  because 
these  feelings  will  assert  themselves,  no  matter 
what  we  may  do  to  prevent  it.  If  the  feelings 
themselves  are  unlovely  and  immoral,  they  are 
very  likely  to  occasion  images  that  are  of  the 
same  character,  and  the  child  may  be  building  in 
his  soul,  even  without  our  knowing  it,  images 
that  will  interfere  with  anything  like  high  and 
helpful  educational  processes.     It  is  the  problem 


88  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

of  the  teacher  at  this  point  to  nourish  the  feel- 
ings of  the  child  with  materials  that  will  weave 

themselves  into  pure  and  help- 
Caution  ^'■^^  images.    Let  us  not  be  afraid 

to  take  note  of  the  feelings  of  the 
child  as  they  become  molded  into  thought  forms 
by  the  imagination.  Let  us  encourage  the  child 
to  give  expression  to  his  images,  because  in  this 
way  he  is  most  likely  to  create  only  the  kind  of 
images  that  are  pure  and  clean.  Social  Purity 
Leagues  are  doing  a  great  deal  of  work  in  this 
direction.  They  try  to  keep  the  fountains  of 
feeling  sweet,  and  as  a  result  the  whole  thought 
of  the  child  is  wholesome.  I  wish  to  commend  to 
you  a  thoughtful  reading  of  Dr.  Josiah  Gilbert 
Holland's  chapter  on  "  Vices  of  Imagination/'  in 
his  volume  entitled  "  Gold-Foil."     You  will  find 

it  one  of  the  most  helpful  ser- 
""ouoted"         nions  in  this  direction.  He  points 

out  among  other  things  that 
m.any  people  toy  with  sin  and  they  harbor  these 
unclean  images  sometimes  for  years.  There 
seems  to  be  no  act  to  indicate  that  they  are  pres- 
ent when  suddenly  the  crash  comes.  Dr.  Hol- 
land is  of  the  opinion  that  these  crises  are  not 
sudden,  but  are  due  to  the  fact  that  the  mind  has 
harbored  unlovely  images  for  years,  and  that 
gradually  the  whole  moral  fiber  was  broken  down 
and  finally  could  no  longer  restrain  expression. 


FEELING    AND    IMAGINATION  89 

His  description  of  the  world  of  sense  built  by 
the  imagination  seems  to  me  to  be  so  strikingly 
effective  that  I  quote  for  your  study  the  para- 
graph entire : 

"  How  fair  and  foul  it  is !  Like  a  fairy  island 
in  the  sea  of  life,  it  smiles  in  sunlight  and  sleeps 
in  green,  known  of  the  world  not  by  communion 
of  knowledge,  but  by  personal,  secret  discovery! 
The  waves  of  every  ocean  kiss  its  feet.  The  airs 
of  every  clime  play  among  its  trees,  and  tire 
with  the  voluptuous  music  which  they  bear. 
Flowers  bend  idly  to  the  fall  of  fountains,  and 
beautiful  forms  are  wreathing  their  white  arms, 
and  calling  for  companionship.  Out  toward  this 
charmed  island,  by  day  and  by  night,  a  million 
shallops  push  unseen  of  each  other,  and  of  the 
world  of  real  life  left  behind,  for  revelry  and 
reward !  The  single  sailors  never  meet  each 
other;  they  tread  the  same  paths  unknown  of 
each  other;  they  come  back,  and  no  one  knows, 
and  no  one  asks  where  they  have  been.  Again 
and  again  is  the  visit  repeated,  with  no  abso- 
lutely vicious  intention,  yet  not  without  gathering 
the  taint  of  vice.  If  God's  light  could  shine  upon 
this  crowded  sea,  and  discover  the  secrets  of  the 
island  which  it  invests,  what  shameful  retreats 
and  encounters  should  we  witness — fathers, 
mothers,  maidens,  men — children  even,  whom 
we  had   deemed   as   pure   as   snow,   flying   with 


90  THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

guilty  eyes  and  white  lips  to  hide  themselves  from 
a  great  disgrace  ! 

It  seems  to  me  that  we  have  here  an  excep- 
tional opportunity  for  the  Sunday-school,  be- 
cause, in  a  negative  way,  it  protects  the  child,  at 
least  for  a  time,  from  any  nutrition  of  his  feel 
ings  which  might  lead  to  such  dire  results  ;  and, 
again,  the  Sunday-school  does  give  the  teacher 
an  opportunity  to  put  into  the  mind  of  the  child 
through  his  feeling-life  such  a 
A  Sunday-School  gfoup  of  rich  Concrete  materials 

opportunity  . 

as  will  compel  his  mind  to  or- 
ganize pictures  through  the  imagination  of 
things  that  are  pure  and  clean  and  lovely  alto- 
gether. Sometimes  we  are  not  satisfied  because 
we  do  not  obtain  the  results  in  thought  which 
we  desire.  Even  if  thought  is  not  secured  and 
expression  is  not  obtained,  some  good  has  been 
done  by  giving  to  the  child  the  necessary  mate- 
rials out  of  which  in  due  course  of  time  he  v/ill 
build  bit  by  bit  in  his  soul  images  that  will  guide 
him  in  right  lines  of  wholesome  thought.  The 
feelings  are  the  quickeners  of  conduct,  and  if  the 
feelings  are  of  the  right  sort  the  issue  in  con- 
duct will  always  be  worthy. 

If  one's  feelings  are  molded  into  thought- 
images  by  the  imagination,  and  the  teaching  pro- 
cess stops  there,  we  are  in  very  great  danger 
of  giving  the  child  the  wrong  materials  for  his 


FEELING    AND    IMAGINATION  9I 

final  religious  education.  He  must  look  beyond 
these  images,  look  through  these  images,  and  see 
the  reality  of  religion  which  these  images  merely 
shadow  forth  and  define.  Back  of  the  imagery 
must  be  insight — an  insight  which  recognizes  that 
the  images  themselves  are  not  the  final  things, 
but  merely  guides  to  the  great  unseen  realities 
which  are,  after  all,  the  proper  possessions  of  the 
soul.  If  the  mind  of  the  child 
hnages"  rests  in  its  images,  it  will  come 
at  last  to  worship  these,  and 
there  results  not  true  religion,  but  idolatry. 
When  the  child  worships  the  images  of  gods  and 
of  other  religious  conceptions  his  intellectual  life 
corresponds  to  that  of  nations  that  have  never 
gone  beyond  the  stage  of  idolatry.  Image  wor- 
ship is  almost  a  universal  worship  at  a  certain 
stage,  both  in  the  development  of  the  race  and 
of  the  individual.  When  the  Israelites  in  the 
wilderness  were  left  to  themselves,  or  seemed  to 
be  left  to  themselves,  they  created  some  image, 
as  of  a  golden  calf,  and  before  it  prostrated  them- 
selves in  worship.  But  the  true  Christian 
education  pushes  beyond  imagery  and  seeks  to 
worship  only  real  things  of  the  spiritual  life,  and 
understands  that  all  this  imagery  is  but  an 
attempt  of  the  human  spirit  to  give  form  and 
definition  to  the  unseen  but  very  real  things  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven. 


92  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

Be  sure,  while  you  teach,  to  make  clear  to  ths 
mind  of  the  child  the  great  distinction  between 
an  image  and  the  reality  which  it  represents,  and 
to  impress  upon  the  mind  of  the  child  that  wor- 
ship belongs  not  to  the  thing  made  by  hand,  but 
to  the  things  which  these  hand-wrought  objects 
in  a  crude  way  merely  typify.  You  will  see,  of 
course,  that  these  images  are  the  concrete  ma- 
terials up  through  which  the  soul  of  the  child 
climbs  to  his  final  and  triumphant  understanding 
of  religious  things.  You  will  use  in  your  teach- 
ing beautiful  poems,  beautiful 
'Telmies'*  songs,  beautiful  pictures,  and 
other  art  materials.  See  to  it 
that  the  child  understands  that  all  of  these  are 
but  the  products — the  broken  products — of  lim- 
ited mental  action,  and  that  they  are  not  the  eter- 
nal and  enduring  realities.  Happy  the  teacher 
that  has  skill  and  insight  to  lead  the  child  out 
of  the  things  of  the  senses  up  into  the  things  of 
the  spirit. 

Thought   is   organized    feeling.     It   is   feeling 

molded    into    permanent    forms,   and    stored    in 

memory  for  use.     The  mold  is  the  imagination. 

Imagination    is    the    power    by 

Thought  Defined     which   the   soul   defines    feeling, 

molds  it,  gives  to  it  limits  and 

bounds.       All   great    virtues    are    objectified    as 

images.   This  is  the  picture-making  power  of  the 


FEELING    AND    IMAGINATION  93 

soul.  Faith,  hope,  and  charity  become  the  three 
graces ;  the  three  graces  become  three  young 
women,  in  whose  faces  the  artist  sets  the  quah- 
ties  that  God,  through  him,  seeks  to  reveal.  We 
need  to  define  our  reHgious  feehngs  in  these 
images.  This  makes  more  real  our  understand- 
ing of  them.  Our  painters,  architects,  sculptors, 
poets,  musicians,  all  use  this  power  to  convey  by 
images  the  great  passions  or  emotions  of  the  hu- 
man soul.  All  the  great  produc- 
'!Zf co^rltr  tions  of  art  are  crystallized 
feelings,  caught  in  color  or  form 
or  sound  or  language,  to  be  enjoyed  forever.  Take 
up  your  favorite  poems,  musical  productions, 
and  other  rich  art  materials,  and  study  them  as 
the  definitions  of  religious  feelings.  It  is  not 
■necessary  to  cite  examples.  The  world  is  full 
of  material.  Note,  too,  how  full  of  symbolism 
is  our  religious  environment.  Ask  yourself  what 
all  this  objective  symbolism  is  worth  as  teach- 
ing data,  and  consider,  too,  how  empty  all  these 
forms  are  if  the  informing  soul  is  not  trained 
to  give  them  adequate  interpretations.  How  bar- 
ren is  the  soul  that  sees  only  the  form  in  art  or 
nature. 

"A  primrose  by  a  river's  brim 
A  yellow  primrose  was  to  him, 
And  it  was  nothing  more." 


94  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 
For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Have  you  carefully  considered  the  great  need  of  a 
better  understanding  of  the  feelings  of  a  child? 

Are  these  feelings  to  be  suppressed,  ignored,  or 
trained?     Why? 

Recall  an  instance  in  your  own  life  when  you  ex- 
perienced a  vivid  rush  of  emotion  into  your  thought-life. 
Do  you  see  any  significance  in  such  an  experience  to  the 
value  of  Decision  Day? 

Write  or  narrate  an  instance  in  which  your  thought- 
plans  were  broken  up  by  your  feelings. 

Discuss  with  others  the  balancing  of  thought  and  of 
feeling  in  your  own  experiences. 

Does  feeling  necessarily  interfere  with  right  thinking? 
When,  if  at  all,  does  it  do  so? 

Will  an  habitual  feeling  of  hatred,  jealousy,  or  kindred 
passion,  color  one's  thought  upon  a  given  subject? 

Apply  this  to  your  opinion  of  some  one  who  may  have 
done  you  an  injustice. 

Is  the  Sunday-school  a  place  for  the  free  activity  of 
the  feeling-life? 

Suppose  you  ignore  the  feelings  in  your  teaching,  what 
becomes  of  interest  in  your  class? 

Study  carefully  the  meaning  and  function  of  con- 
science in  this  discussion. 

Study  "  The  Angelus,"  "  Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee," 
Whittier's  "  Trinitas,"  Gray's  "  Elegy,"  "  The  Sistine 
Madonna,"  and  in  general  all  great  art  products,  to  see 
how  great  souls  define  feelings — in  color,  sound,  form, 
and  language. 


IX 

EDUCATIONAL   PRINCIPLES  OF  MOMENT 

np  HE  powers  of  the  human  soul  are  all  pres- 
ent at  birth.    They  are  given  with  the  soul. 
No  new  power    is    subsequently    created.      But 
these  powers  do  not  all  reach  their  maximum  de- 
velopment   at    the    same    time.      Some    develop 
rapidly,  some  slowly.     Those  that  develop  most 
rapidly  provide  by  their  activities  the  materials 
upon  which   the   more    slowly   developing   ones 
must  act  for  their  fullest  growth.    One  does  not 
become  active,  and  then  another ; 
''a'rowfh"'       ^i'^e  boys  in  a  foot  race,  they  all 
begin  to  move  at  the  same  time, 
but  they  do  not  travel  at  the  same  rate.     Thus 
they  reach  their  culmination  at  different  periods 
in  the  life  of  the  child. 

There  is  an  educational  law  that  grows  out  of 
this  order   of  growth   of   soul   powers.     Direct 
your  teaching  activities  to  the  nutrition  of  those 
powers  that  are  at  the  time  most  active.    The  or- 
der of  their  culmination  is  the 
Two  Vital  Laws    Order  followcd  in  this  discussion. 
Knowledge  must  be  adapted  to 
the  capacity  of  the  learner.     This  law,  like  the 
former  one,  is  w^orth  much  more  than  a  passing 

95 


96  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

notice.  It  is  not  enough  to  have  good  material 
with  which  to  teach ;  we  must  also  know  how  to 
adapt  this  material  to  the  stage  of  development 
attained  by  the  learner.  Teachers  too  often  for- 
get this  fact.  Sometimes  they  remember  it,  but 
are  helpless  to  conform  to  it.  A  few  may  be 
wholly  ignorant  of  its  significance. 

Sometimes  we  think  that  adapting  the  mate- 
rials of  instruction  to  the  learner  is  accomplished 
by  the  length  of  the  exercise.  For  young  pupils 
we  give  short  lessons.  For  older  ones  we  in- 
crease the  dose ;  as  if  in  some  way  our  teaching 
materials  were  to  be  administered  as  we  give  a 
medicine, — increasing  the  dose  with  the  age  of 
the  pupil.  This  is  not  the  sort  of  adaptation  the 
true  teacher  has  in  mind.  It  is  a  difference  in 
quality,  not  in  quantity.  This  change  in  quality 
is  not,  again,  to  be  thought  of  as  a  thing  to  be 
secured  by  diluting  the  lesson  with  irrelevant 
and  useless  things.  It  is  a  change  in  the  quality 
of  thought  in  which  the  material  of  the  lesson  is 
cast  in  the  mind  of  the  teacher,  and  in  the  lan- 
guage with  which  it  is  conveyed  to  the  mind  of 
the  learner.     Both  in  thought  and  in  expression 

it  must  be  adapted  to  the  mind 
A  Third  Law       of  the  pupil.    The  fact  that  one 

can  teach  is  not  proof  that  one 
can  teach  in  every  grade  of  the  Sunday-school. 
There  are  many  details  of  method  that  make  the 


EDUCATIONAL    PRINCIPLES    OF    MOMENT        9/ 

problem  for  each  grade  a  specific  and  somewhat 
distinct  one.  Some  are  most  successful  in  pri- 
mary work  ;  some  in  the  advanced  work.  In  gen- 
eral, it  is  increasingly  difficult  to  secure  good 
teaching  as  one  moves  downward  through  the 
grades.  It  is  also  true  that  many  teachers  prefer 
the  younger  groups  under  the  mistaken  notion 
that  here  their  mistakes  are  not  so  easily  detected. 
It  is  not  a  question  of  being  found  out ;  it  is  a 
question  of  doing  genuinely  effective  teaching. 
Thoughtful  persons,  realizing  the  greater  diffi- 
culty in  securing  good  primary  teachers  and 
knowing  also  the  great  importance  of  right  be- 
ginnings, have  claimed,  with  much  show  of  rea- 
son, that  the  teacher  of  a  primary  grade  has  the 
most  responsible  position.  I  do  not  wish  to  deny 
this  statement,  but  I  do  wish  to  plead  for  fine 
teaching  in  every  grade. 

We  are  prayerfully  asking  how  to  keep  the 
large  boys  and  girls  in  the  Sunday-school.  Let 
one  answer  be  this :  put  them  in  charge  of  su- 
perior teachers.  These  older  pupils  know  good 
teaching.  They  grow  weary  in  its  absence.  For 
these  we  must  make  vastly  better  provision  than 
heretofore,  or  continue  to  deplore  their  all  too 
frequent  withdrawal  from  the  Sunday-school.  A 
superintendent  should  see  to  it  that  each  teacher 
is  at  work  in  the  grade  in  which  that  one  is  most 
likely  to  do  the  best  work. 


98  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

The  primary  teacher  is  not  to  assume  that 
his  pupils  know  nothing  when  they  enter  his 
class.    The  teacher  never  begins  the  education  of 

the    child.      Much    has    already 
A  Fourth  Law     been  learned.    The  home  and  the 

environment  of  the  child,  save 
in  exceptional  cases,  give  the  child  much  valuable 
experience  long  before  constructive  processes 
under  competent  guidance  begin.  Thus  the 
teacher  is  not  the  initial  teaching  agency.  He 
may  be,  often  is,  the  first  to  comprehend  what 
the  home  and  the  environment  have  given,  and 
organize  it  into  its  highest  utility  in  the  soul. 
For  reasons  here  given,  I  wish  to  guard  the  pri- 
mary teacher  against  a  rather  common  miscon- 
ception of  his  function.  To  adapt  the  subject- 
matter  of  the  lesson  to  his  youthful  learners,  he 
may  make  his  instruction  silly.  Concrete  teach- 
ing at  this  stage  is,  of  course,  vital.  But  there 
is  no  valid  reason  for  introducing  long  and  tedi- 
ous and  foolish  stories  about  common  objects 
until  the  whole  purpose  of  the  illustration  is  lost 
in  its  own  over-wrought  details.  There  is  noth- 
ing quite  so  pitiful  as  a  teacher  who  has  under- 
estimated the  capacity  of  his  pupils,  and  who 
flounders  around  in  a  desperate  effort  to  accom- 
plish something  with  nothing. 

Some  primary  teachers  have  the  idea  that  they 
need  only  some  objects  like  woolly  sheep,  dolls, 


EDUCATIONAL   PRINCIPLES   OF    MOMENT        99 

rotten  potatoes,  and  penny  candles,  in  order  to 
be  sure  of  a  successful  exercise.  They  push  the 
woolly  sheep  around  on  the  table,  they  exhibit 
the  dolls,  they  cut  open  the  potatoes,  they  light 
the  candles,  and  they  talk,  talk,  talk,  and  lo !  it 

is  a  lesson.  The  pupil  follows 
AMisUken       ^j^j^    strange    exhibition    and    is 

pleased.  So  is  the  teacher.  But 
not  one  sane  lesson,  not  one  clear  idea,  is  fixed 
in  consciousness.  The  teacher  has  evidently  pro- 
ceeded upon  the  theory  that  the  more  remote  and 
mysterious  the  connection  between  the  object  and 
the  moral  to  be  drawn  the  better,  evidently  for- 
getting that  the  child  gets  only  the  play  side  of 
the  game  and  not  at  all  the  moral.  As  a  play  it  is 
not  even  justifiable,  since  the  child  should  handle 
the  objects  of  the  game  to  make  it  worth  while 
to  him.  When  will  we  learn  to  use  objects  like 
these  as  educational  agencies,  and  not  merely  as 
things  with  which  to  tickle  the  fancy  and  catch 
the  interest  of  the  child?  It  would  add  nothing 
to  the  constructive  value  of  these  remarks  to  de- 
scribe some  such  lessons  that  I  have  witnessed. 
I  have  only  sympathy  for  the  teacher  and  for  the 
pupils.  Let  us  not  censure.  Let  us  rather  aid 
in  pointing  the  better  way.  I  believe,  with  Dr. 
Schaefifer,  that  "  to  a  faithful  teacher  a  tenth  of  a 
grain  of  helpful  suggestion  is  worth  many  tons 
of  destructive  criticism." 


lOO  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

The  kindergartner  knows  well  that  play  is  not 
of  itself  educational.  It  is  the  constructive  phase 
of  play,  the  phase  that  the  child  cares  least  about, 
that  alone  is  educationally  significant.  With  an 
insight  that  is  born  of  rare  native  qualities,  re- 
inforced by  a  critical  study  of  educational  pro- 
cesses, the  kindergartner  skilfully  shifts  the 
interest  of  the  pupil  to  the  aspect  of  the  activity 
that  is  constructive ;  from  an  activity  in  which 
the  emphasis  of  interest  in  the  learner  passes  from 

the  process  to  the  end  sought  by 
Play  and  Work     the  proccss  ;  from  play  to  work. 

In  play,  the  interest  rests  in  the 
process ;  the  result  is  not  significantly  regarded. 
In  work,  the  interest  rests  in  the  result ;  the  pro- 
cess is  not  significantly  regarded.  In  the 
Sunday-school,  the  emphasis  must  rest  upon  the 
result,  not  upon  the  process.  Use  objects  to  lift 
the  child  to  a  religious  thought.  Do  not  trifle  with 
the  pupil's  interest,  and  so  secure  no  abiding 
product  of  value  to  the  learner. 

We  have  so  far  considered  the  stages  of  soul- 
unfolding  usually  described  as  the  powers  through 
which  we   gain    presentative   and    representative 

knowledge.  We  have  yet  to  con- 
Additionai  Laws    sidcr  the  powers  through  which 

w^e  gain  thought-knowledge.  The 
function  of  presentative  knowledge  is  to  afford 
nutrition  of  feeling.  The  function  of  representa- 


EDUCATIONAL    PRINCIPLES    OF    MOMENT      lOI 

tive  knowledge  is  to  afford  nutrition  of  defini- 
tion. The  function  of  thought-knowledge  is  to 
afford  nutrition  of  insight.  In  general,  this 
analysis  indicates  the  proper  organization  of  the 
Sunday-school.  There  should  be  three  depart- 
ments. They  may  be  designated  the  primary 
department,  covering,  say,  four  years ;  the  inter- 
mediate department,  covering  also  about  four 
years ;  and  finally  the  Bible-class  department, 
covering  the  remainder  of  the  life  in  the  Sun- 
day-school. Teachers  should  be  prepared  to  en- 
ter one  or  another  of  these  departments.  Their 
study  should  center  in  the  powers  of  soul,  with 
the  training  of  which  they  shall  be  directly  con- 
cerned. My  own  judgment  is  that  there  should 
be  in  a  large  Sunday-school  a  superintendent  for 
each  department,  with  a  general  superintendent 
over  all.  None  of  these  should  teach  classes. 
They  should  be  steadily  engaged  in  the  observa- 
tion of  the  work  done  in  their 
"orlTz^lT  departments.  They  should  never 
criticise  the  teachers  in  the  pres- 
ence of  their  pupils.  The  teachers'-meeting  held 
weekly  should  first  meet  in  separate  sections. 
Each  superintendent  should  point  out  frankly 
both  the  good  and  the  bad  teaching  witnessed 
by  him  or  her.  At  the  end  of  a  half-hour,  the 
sections  should  meet  together,  and  the  general 
superintendent  should  take  up  the  questions  relat- 


102  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

ing  to  the  unification  of  the  entire  work.     This 
will  solve  the  question  of  proper  supervision. 

Have  you  ever  seriously  considered  the  value 
of  language  to  the  human  soul?    Of  course,  you 
have  often  been  glad  that  the  power  of  speech 
is  yours,  and  that  you  have  learned  the  great 
art  of  reading.     But  just  what 
LM^ua'c         ^°^^  ^^^  language  symbol  mean 
to  you  as  you  use  it  in  teach- 
ing?   The  most  primitive  nations  have  theories 
for  its  origin.     In  general,  these  theories  point 
to  a  divine  or  supernatural  origin.     This  indi- 
cates the  high  estimate  in  which  it  is  held.    The 
Oriaba  Indians  believe  that  language  is  the  direct 
gift  of  the  Great  Spirit,  that  their  medicine  man 
and  his  son  journeyed  many  moons  to  the  east, 
and  received   language   in   two   separate   sacred 
bags.    On  the  way  home  the  son's  curiosity  led 
him  to  take  a  peep,  and  some  language  escaped. 
Later  on  the  white   man,   com- 
indian  Legend      ing  that  way,  fouud  these  frag- 
ments,   but    the    medicine    man 
carried  most  of  it  in  safety  to  his  people,  who 
therefore  speak  almost  the  perfect  language  of 
the  Great  Spirit. 

Our  own  old  North  Europe  ancestors  had  a 
legend  that  man  was  born  speechless ;  that  the 
Divine  Spirit  in  pity  sent  the  goddess  of  sacred 
song  to  earth.    The  goddess  appeared  in  an  en- 


EDUCATIONAL    PRINCIPLES    OF    MOMENT      IO3 

chanted  grove,  and  sang  the  most  ravishing 
music  her  spirit  ever  knew.  The  dogs  heard  it, 
and  began  to  bark.  The  birds  heard  it,  and  began 
to  twitter.  The  frogs  heard  it,  and  began  to  croak. 
The  ducks  heard  it,  and  began  to  quack.     The 

fishes,   agitated  by   the   commo- 
Norse  Legend      tion,  thrust  their  eyes  above  the 

water,  but  not  their  ears.  They 
saw,  but  heard  not,  and  are  mute  to  this  day. 
The  brook  heard  it,  and  began  to  murmur  as  it 
sb'pped  over  the  shining  shingle.  The  trees 
heard  it,  and  began  to  rustle  their  thousand  leaves. 
But  man,  of  all  created  things,  standing  in  the 
midst  of  the  grove,  drank  in  the  full  song,  and 
sang  it  back  again  to  the  goddess.  Thus  from 
heaven  came  speech  to  man. 

The  Bible,  too,  seems  to  indicate  that  God 
aided  Adam  to  acquire  speech.  Enough  has  been 
given  to  indicate  the  priceless  value  of  language. 
Words  at  first  are  to  us  only  the  names  for  par- 
ticular objects :  man  is  papa ;  horse  is  the  old 
family  friend ;  dog  is  the  family  pet ;  cat  is  the 
child's  companion.  Slowly  he  begins  to  under- 
stand that  the  word  he  uses  is  applicable  to  many, 
finally  to  all  of  a  group.  The  word  broadens  in 
meaning,  and  comes  at  last  to  denote  objects  uni- 
versally. What  a  widening  of  the  horizon  this 
is !  How  the  soul  universalizes  itself  when  it  no 
longer  thinks  in  things,  but  in  symbols !     Thus 


I04  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

language  is  the  soul's  shorthand,  by  means  of 
which,  with  a  few  symbols,  it  comprehends  myri- 
ads of  particulars.     Think  what 
sot^shTthaL    the  words  star,  cow,  wind,  tree, 
water,  baby,  now  mean  to  you. 
The  power  of  the  soul  that  builds  these  general 
notions  is  called  conception.     Let  us  consider  it 
as  the  initial  process  in  thought  knowledge ;  as 
the  first  of  a  series  of  activities  through  which 
we  rise  to  general  ideas,  to  laws,  to  principles,  to 
the  final  forms  of  thought  in  the  soul. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  is  meant  by  the  nutrition  of  a  mental  power? 

Explain  how  you  would  proceed  to  adapt  the  next 
lesson  in  the  International  series  to  the  pupils  of  your 
grade.    What  is  your  standard  of  adaptation? 

What  has  the  language  of  the  teacher  to  do  with  the 
teacher's  success? 

Is  it  true  that  a  teacher  successful  anywhere  will  be 
successful  everywhere  in  the  grades? 

Discuss  with  other  teachers  what  you  can  do  to  retain 
the  young  men  and  women  in  the  Sunday-school. 

What  is  your  experience  concerning  the  use  of  toys 
in  teaching  a  primary  grade? 

Do  you  know  the  difference  between  a  device  and  a 
method  of  teaching?  Illustrate  each.  Is  the  use  of  a 
doll  or  a  sheep  a  method  or  a  device? 

Just  what  value  can  be  placed  upon  teaching  activities 
that  are  like  play? 


EDUCATIONAL   PRINCIPLES   OF   MOMENT      IO5 

Point  out  the  reason  for  a  three  department  organiza- 
tion of  the  Sunday-school.  Should  each  department  have 
a  superintendent? 

What  is  the  value  of  close  supervision  of  teaching? 

Should  superintendents  be  trained  for  their  work? 
What  are  the  leading  qualifications  of  a  good  superinten- 
dent? 

Why  should  you  consider  the  value  of  language  as  part 
of  your  equipment  to  teach? 

What  is  the  true  origin  of  language? 

How  do  you  account  for  the  first  words  used  by  a 
child? 


X 

THE  USE  OF  SYMBOLS 

TV/T  Y  FIRST  notion  of  a  chair  is  a  picture  of 
an  old  armchair  in  my  father's  house. 
The  chair  I  sat  upon  at  the  table  was  a  high- 
chair.  This  name  kept  it  separate  and  apart 
from  the  armchair,  but  bit  by  bit  my  mind  began 
to  discern  the  relations  of  similarity  in  many 
objects  that  at  first  seemed  wholly  separate  and 
distinct.  I  discerned  seat,  back,  and  legs.  These 
essential  parts  rightly  joined  make  my  idea  of 
chair.     All   objects   having   these   marks   I   call 

chair.  Many  accidental  quali- 
First  Notions      ties   are   found  in  the  different 

objects.  The  seat  is  of  wood, 
or  of  cane,  or  of  plush,  or  of  iron.  The 
back  is  square,  or  round,  or  long,  or  short, 
or  braced,  or  free  from  braces.  The  chair  is 
painted,  or  oiled,  or  plain.  The  quality  of  wood 
is  oak,  or  pine,  or  poplar,  or  mahogany.  But  in 
all  this  varying  detail  my  mind  fastens  upon 
legs,  seat,  and  back.  These  essential  parts  must 
be  present.  Remove  one  or  more  of  these,  and 
it  is  not  chair.  Thus  by  seeing  the  similarity  in 
essential  parts  I  am  able  to  group  all  such  objects 
1 06 


THE    USE    OF    SYMBOLS  IO7 

into  one  general  notion,  and  that  notion  I  call 
chair. 

The  soul  sees  (perceives)  objects  through  the 
senses.  Ideas  of  these  arise  in  consciousness. 
In  this  way  the  soul  obtains  a  report  for  itself  of 
the  objective  world.  It  comes  into  the  posses- 
sion of  possible  knowledge.  This  possible  knowl- 
edge is  made  into  actual  knowledge  by  the  act 
of  the  soul  upon  it  in  consciousness.  Attention, 
as  interest  or  will,  holds  this  possible  knowledge 
in  consciousness  until  the  soul  knows  it.  Mem- 
ory retains  knowledge.  Imagination,  aided  by 
feeling,  combines  the  products  of  memory  into 
ideal  forms,  and  then  the  soul  is  prepared  to  in- 
vestigate these  experiences  and  organize  them 
into  the  highest  utility. 

The  powers  by  which  it  does  this  are  called 
the  cognitive  powers.  These  powers  discover 
the  essential  relations  existing  between  the  var- 
ious facts  of  knowledge  gathered  in  the  soul. 
They  group  these  facts  into  appropriate  classes 
on  the  basis  of  these  discerned  relations,  and 
thus  enable  the  soul  with  a  few  symbols,  or 
names,  to  carry  large  groups  of  related  facts  of 
knowledge.  Our  individual  experiences  are  so 
numerous  and  so  varied  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  carry  them  in  memory,  or  make  any  sub- 
stantial progress  in  thought,  if  we  were  obliged 
to  have  as  many  different  names  or  symbols  in 


I06  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

the  soul  as  we  have  had  experiences  through  the 
senses.       These     are     the     powers     then     that 

economize     effort    by    building 
Cognitive  Powers   away   from   concrete,   individual 

experiences,  into  symbols,  laws 
and  principles,  or,  in  other  words,  they  are  the 
powers  through  which  the  spirit  universalizes 
itself.  They  are  the  last  development  of  the  soul 
on  the  intellectual  side.  All  previous  acts  in  the 
education  of  the  intellect  should  point  to  the  final 
development  of  these  powers  at  their  best. 

These  cognitive  powers  are  three :  conception, 
judgment,  reason.  They  develop  in  the  order 
named,  each  using  the  material  furnished  by  the 
preceding  one,  and  thus  producing  an  order  of 
development  of  the  greatest  significance  in  teach- 
ing. These  powers  do  not  immediately  report 
sense  experiences,  but  they  do  produce  immediate 
knowledge,  since  all  these  relations  which  they 
discover  to  exist  are  themselves  objects  of 
knowledge.  We  have  then  to  keep  in  mind  two 
different  groups  of  objects  of  knowledge:  (i) 
that  large  and  rich  and  concrete  group  of  ma- 
terials or  objects  of  knowledge  which  are  the 
soul's  report  of  its  experiences  with  the  objec- 
tive world;  (2)  that  equally  important,  sugges- 
tive, and  abstract  group  of  objects  of  knowledge 
which  the  soul  itself  creates. 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  these  powers 


THE    USE    OF    SYMBOLS  IO9 

deal  absolutely  with  relations.  They  increase 
the  sum  of  knowledge  in  the  mind.  Inasmuch 
as  relations  constitute  the  materials  upon  which 
these  powers  act,  they  are  usually  called  abstract 
powers,  and,  because  they  work  out  into  groups 
Cognitive  Powers  ^H  Concrete  material  of  our  pre- 
Deai  sentative  powers,  they  are  some- 

wi  e  a  ions  ^jj^gj,  called  the  elaborative 
powers  of  the  soul.  The  soul  names  these  rela- 
tions in  the  same  way  that  it  names  its  percep- 
tions of  things ;  thus  we  have  words,  or  signs, 
or  symbols,  or  marks,  which  denote  products  of 
these,  and  it  is  these  products,  these  names,  that 
become  the  basis  of  our  organic  thought;  in 
other  words,  these  products  organize  the  con- 
crete facts  into  laws  and  principles  of  wide  and 
far-reaching  application.  We  are  very  much  fet- 
tered when  we  are  dependent  upon  concrete  data 
derived  from  the  senses.  We  are  unfettered  and 
free  when  we  have  these  powers  to  build  our 
thoughts  into  principles  and  laws. 

The  power  of  the  soul  that  builds  these  gen- 
eral notions  on  the  basis  of  similarity  is  concep- 
tion. This  process  is  unending. 
Conception  There  is  never  a  time  when  a 
Avord  is  so  full  of  meaning  that 
wider  meaning  may  not  attach  to  it.  Our  first 
notion  of  God  is  often  simple  and  vague.  We 
never  cease  to  attach  new  meaning  to  the  divine 


no  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

personality.  Education  is  largely  a  matter  of 
giving  meaning  to  symbols. 

The  thought  powers  deal  wholly  with  symbols. 
These  symbols  are  words,  mathematical  symbols, 
and  other  general  signs  that  represent  many  con- 
crete experiences  in  one  term,  sign,  or  symbol. 
For  the  purposes  of  the  Sunday-school,  the  lan- 
guage symbol  is,  of  course,  the  potential  one. 
The  soul  has  the  power  to  group  many  similar 
ideas  into  one,  and  name  this  one.  We  can  think 
individual  notions  into  class  notions.  To  do  this 
we  must  discern  the  relations  existing  between 
these  individual  notions,  as  I  did  with  the  parts  of 
the  chair. 

Let  us  consider  with  care  the  value  of  giving 
proper  exercise  to  this  significant  activity.  Its 
function  is  to  build  general  ideas,  to  group  an 
infinite  number  of  individual  perceptions  under 
one  general  notion,  and  to  give  to  this  general 
notion  a  name.  This  name  becomes  its  symbol, 
its  sign,  or  its  mark.  This  name  may  be  a  word, 
a  figure,  or  any  other  abstract  character.  When 
this  name  is  given  it  is  sometimes  called  a  gen- 
eral notion,  sometimes  a  concept.  We  will  use  the 
word  concept.  Conception  is  the  power  that 
builds  concepts  out  of  percepts.  How  does  it  do 
it?  It  holds  in  consciousness  two  or  more  ob- 
jects of  thought  which  have  come  at  different 
times  into  the  soul,  and  which  have  remained  in 


THE   USE   OF   SYMBOLS  III 

memory  until  a  given  moment.  A  new  process 
occurs.  The  soul  seeks  to  find  the  essential  attri- 
butes which  exist  in  the  different 
Concept  Defined  objects  of  thought  considered. 
If  the  same  attributes  are 
found  to  exist  in  two  or  more  of  these  objects, 
this  power  groups  into  one  the  different  objects 
that  contain  these  essential  marks  or  attributes. 
All  the  objects  of  knowledge  possessing  these 
essential  marks  or  attributes  are  then  grouped 
also  into  the  same  class,  and  a  name  is  given  to 
this  group  or  class.  For  illustration,  I  find  in  my 
idea  of  chair  the  essential  attributes,  back,  seat, 
legs.  When  I  find  these  three  attributes  or 
marks  in  the  same  relation  in  different  objects, 
it  becomes  easy  to  disregard  all  other  attributes 
or  marks,  and  to  consider  only  these  essential 
ones,  thus  enabling  me  to  place  into  one  group 
all  the  different  objects  which  have  these  essen- 
tial marks.  I  name  this  group  with  the  word 
chair,  and  thereafter  I  apply  my  notion  of  chair 
to  all  the  different  objects  that  fall  within  this 
group. 

You  see,  then,  why  these  may  be  called  general 
notions  or  concepts.  They  are  the  units  of  the 
higlicr  thought,  just  as  bricks  are  the  units  of  a 
building,  or  as  sand  grains  are  the  units  of  the 
seashore.  We  use  these  concepts  in  the  build- 
ing of  thought.    The  vital  thing  here  is  to  see  that 


112       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

no  individual  notion  is  allowed  to  pass  into  a 
class  which  does  not  possess  the  vital  or  essential 
attribute  or  mark  that  belongs  to  that  group. 
Here  is  the  place  for  the  teacher  to  make  time 
by  taking  time.  Here  the  teacher  will  go  fast  by 
going  slow,  for  work  badly  done  at  this  point 
will  vitiate  all  subsequent  thought  process.  Un- 
less the  concepts  are  clear  the  thinking  cannot  be 
clear.  From  the  point  of  view  of  a  grammar- 
ian these  concepts  are  called  common  nouns,  that 

is  to  say,  they  are  names  com- 
*C(Hicepts"''     ^'^on   to   all   the   objects   of   the 

same  kind  or  class.  To  teach 
the  exact  meaning  of  a  concept  is  of  the  utmost 
importance.  Here  the  teacher  will  find  himself 
embarrassed,  and  the  mind  of  the  pupil  con- 
fused, if  he  allow  all  accidental  attributes  or 
marks  to  become  the  basis  of  classification.  The 
different  varieties  of  chairs,  the  different  shapes 
of  backs,  the  seat,  the  legs,  the  different  mate- 
rials of  construction,  different  prices  at  which 
they  are  bought,  the  different  uses  to  which  they 
are  applied,  are  all  accidental  attributes  which 
in  an  unguarded  moment  may  enter  the  mind 
of  the  child  as  a  basis  of  classification  and  of 
grouping.  Lay  them  aside.  Distinguish  between 
what  is  essential  and  what  is  not  essential. 
Fasten  the  activities  of  the  child  upon  the  essen- 
tial things.      Avoid    laying    emphasis    upon    the 


THE   USE   OF   SYMBOLS  II3 

non-essential  things.  In  this  way  some  clear 
notion  of  the  concept  and  its  content  may  be 
arrived  at. 

Children  pick  up  words  at  random,  they  learn 
them  from  one  another,  they  bring  them  from 
every  conceivable  source,  and  unless  the  teacher 
goes  through  this  list  of  materials  and  gives 
them  definite  meaning,  the  child  will  be  ham- 
pered and  hindered  in  arriving  at  clear  thought. 
In  the  fourth  chapter  of  John  we  have  the  inter- 
esting narrative  of  Jesus  at  Jacob's  Well.  We 
are  told  by  competent  authorities  that  this  inci- 
dent occurred  some  time  in  the  month  of  De- 
cember. Jesus  says  to  his  disciples :  "  Say  not 
ye.  There  are  yet  four  months,  and  then  cometh 
the  harvest?  behold,  I  say  unto 
Illustration  you,  Lift  Up  your  cycs,  and  look 
on  the  fields,  that  they  are  white 
already  tmto  harvest."  When  I  asked  a  boy  the 
time  of  the  incident,  he  said,  "  March."  I  said, 
"  How  do  you  arrive  at  that  conclusion  ?  "  He 
said,  "  Because  it  was  four  months  before  har- 
vest." I  said  to  the  boy,  "  When  is  harvest  in 
Palestine?"  "  Oh  !"  said  he,  "  in  Palestine  !  I 
hadn't  thought  of  that." 

The  child's  concept  harvest  meant  that  it  was 
a  certain  time  on  the  calendar, — a  time  which 
he  arrived  at  by  his  limited  observation  in  the 
fields   of    Pennsylvania.      Read    Dr.    Trumbull's 


114      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

"  Studies  in  Oriental  Social  Life,"  ^  for  a  clear 
interpretation  of  the  meaning  Jesus  here  intended 
to  be  conveyed.  The  boy  had  taken  an  acci- 
dental attribute  or  mark  of  the  concept  harvest 
for  the  essential  one.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is 
that  somewhere  on  this  broad  earth  God  ripens 
the  harvest  every  day  in  the  calendar  year. 
Somewhere    the    ripening    grain    bends    in    the 

golden     sun.       Somewhere    the 
^^HarlTsV^       reaper  is  forever  bending  to  his 

toil.  Somewhere  the  gleaner  is 
forever  treading  in  the  footsteps  of  Ruth.  If, 
then,  our  notion  of  harvest  is  not  clear,  how  can 
we  understand  the  time  set  for  the  incident  at 
Jacob's  Well?  How  difficult  it  would  be  to  un- 
derstand the  quotation  above  in  which  the  ripen- 
ing souls  of  men,  like  the  ripening  grain,  are 
everywhere  and  always  waiting  for  the  reaper, 
if  harvest  meant  a  restricted  time.  Let  us  learn 
at  this  point  that  one  clear  thought,  well  set  in 
the  soul  of  a  child,  is  worth  a  multitude  of  con- 
fused and  conflicting  ideas  set  in  haste  under 
the  impression  that  unless  we  teach  much  we 
have  not  taught  well.  Here  make  haste  slowly, 
do  your  work  well. 

Remember  that  whatever  is  put  into  the  mind 
of  a  child  under  a  term  or  word  which  ought  not 
to  be  put  there  under  that  term  or  word  is  likely 
*  Charles  Scribner's  Sons.    Price,  $3. 


THE    USE    OF    SYMBOLS  I  1  5 

to  remain  there  to  color  all  his  subsequent 
thought,  and  pervert  all  his  subsequent  thinking. 
I  have  known  children  who  were  made  to  feel 
that  God  himself  was  a  cruel  and  exacting 
Master,  whose  special  function  seemed  to  be  to 
follow  after  them,  and  to  watch  for  their  mis- 
deeds and  punish  them  for  these  misdeeds.  Thus 
the   children   put   into   their   no- 

"cTution"  ^'"^^  °^  ^*^^  ^"  element  which 
made  it  impossible  for  them  for 
years  to  come  to  reconcile  the  teachings  of  the 
Sunday-school  as  to  just  what  God  is  with  these 
early  and  false  interpretations  of  his  attributes. 
A  little  child  who  was  told  by  her  mother  that 
God  was  always  watching  her  and  awaiting  an 
opportunity  to  punish  her  for  her  misdeeds,  be- 
came so  wrought  up  over  the  matter  that  in  her 
mind  God  was  simply  a  cruel  and  persistent  force 
dogging  her  life.  One  day,  when  she  was  about 
to  go  from  one  room  to  another,  her  pet  dog  in- 
sisted upon  accompanying  her.  She  pushed  the 
dog  back  as  she  tried  to  open  the  door,  but  the 
dog  insisted  on  passing  through  with  her.  After 
two  or  three  efforts,  she  turned  on  the  dog  and 
said  savagely,  "  Go  away ;  it  is  bad  enough  to 
have  God  tagging  after  me  wherever  I  go,  with- 
out being  bothered  with  you." 

I  suppose  that  we  all  get  these  false  notions, — ■ 
that  is  to  say,  we  read  meanings  into  terms  which 


Il6  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

do  not  rightly  belong  there.  The  accidental 
qualities  and  the  false  qualities  of  our  terms  over- 
shadow the  essential  qualities,  and  our  life-actions 
are  colored  and  perverted  thereby.  I  think  we 
are  safe  in  saying  that  much  of  the  wrong  that 
is  done  in  this  world  is  due  to  the  fact  that  some 
quality  in  our  notions  which  should  not  be  there 
gives  color  and  warrant  to  our  deeds.  It  seems, 
therefore,  that  in  the  Sunday-school  especially 
the  greatest  care  should  be  exercised  to  attach 
to  a  new  word  only  the  things  which  legitimately 
belong  to  it,  so  that  when  the  child  thinks  with 
this  new  word  and  analyzes  it,  his  data  will 
enable  him  to  attain  conclusions  in  harmony  with 
the  facts  of  the  case,  and  not  conclusions  that 
are  wholly  at  variance  with  the  real  meaning  of 
the  term. 

This  is  all  the  more  important  as  one  remem- 
bers that  when  these  words  are  joined  together 
they  become  the  basis  of  our  judgment,  and 
later  on  of  our  reason;  and  that  we  cannot  judge 

Words  Become  "OJ"  ^^ason  correctly  unless  we 
Basis  of  hold    right    meanings    for    the 

gmen  s  terms  or  words  which  lie  at  the 
basis  of  our  higher  thought  organization  and 
activity.  Take  the  word  "  Sunday-school  "  itself. 
I  suspect  that  if  we  were  to  ask  the  children 
what  meaning  they  attach  to  that  term  it  would 
surprise  us  to  find  that  most  of  them  have  vague 


THE    USE    OF    SYMBOLS  II/ 

and  perhaps  false  impressions.  They  do  not 
have  under  this  term  the  notions  or  ideas  which 
ought  to  be  placed  there.  In  a  vague  way  they 
know  that  the  Sunday-school  is  a  place  where 
they  ought  to  be,  and  they  may  perhaps  under- 
stand that  it  is  a  place  where  they  are  to  learn 
about  God  or  about  Jesus,  or  a  place  where  they 
are  to  study  the  Bible,  or  a  place  where  they  are 
sent  to  be  made  good,  or  a  place  where  they  are 
to  be  kept  from  mischief,  or  a  place  where  they 
are  to  appear  in  their  best  clothes ;  but  I  doubt 
very  much  whether  we  have  stopped  in  our 
teaching  activity  to  make  definitely  clear  to  the 
mind  of  the  child  just  what  the  Sunday-school 
is,  and  what  should  come  into  the  mind  of  the 
child  as  its  purpose  when  the  word  ''  Sunday- 
school  "  is  present  in  consciousness. 

We  are  very   likely   to  assume   that   familiar 

terms  like  these  that  are  on  our  lips  constantly 

are  sufficiently  understood  by  the  children  to  be 

of  use  to  them.    A  good  teacher 

^""cJJar"'"^  will  watch  the  full  significance 
of  the  most  common  words,  and 
see  to  it  that  these  are  built  up  with  the  right 
significations  attached  to  them,  so  that  their  use 
will  always  give  to  the  child  clear  knowledge  and 
true  interpretation. 

As  a  matter  of  experiment,  I  should  like  to 
have  you  test  your  children  on  the  meaning  of  a 


Il8  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

few  common  words ;  for  instance,  what  they 
mean  by  kindness,  what  they  mean  by  rehgion, 
what  they  mean  by  church,  what  they  mean  by 
truthfulness,  or  some  such  equally  familiar 
words.     A  test  of  this  kind  will 

An  Experiment  reveal  to  you  how  Unsafe  it  is 
to  assume  that  the  child  knows 
the  meanings  of  these  terms  as  we  wish  them 
to  be  known,  and  as  they  need  to  be  known,  in 
order  to  use  them  properly  in  constructive 
thought. 

Words  are  only  the  symbols  of  thought.  They 
are  the  objective  expressions  for  what  we  image 
in  thought.  They  have  no  life,  no  power,  no 
value  in  and  of  themselves.  They  are  of  value 
only  as  they  are  used  to  call  up  in  the  mind 
thought-images.  Under  the  words  are  the 
thoughts.  It  is  of  no  use  to  ask  pupils  to  mem- 
orize the  words  when  these  words  mean  nothing 
to  the  pupils.  We  have  no  right  to  burden  the 
memory  with  useless  categories  of  symbols.  I 
write  now  for  you  a  word — "  miniver  " — and, 
after  you  have  spelled  it  and  pronounced  it,  I 
ask  you  to  think  with  it.  Think  hard !  Think 
long !  Think  well !  Think  ?  Ah  !  no,  you  cannot. 
It  is  a  good  word.  What  does  it  mean  to  you? 
You  often  put  the  minds  of  your  pupils  into  this 
same  vacuous  condition.  I  wish  I  could  make 
you  feel  this  as  keenly  as  you  may  have  made 


THE    USE    OF    SYMBOLS  1 19 

some  of  your  pupils  feel  it  in  days  gone  by. 
Think  now  of  the  utter  waste  of  time  and  of  op- 
portunity resulting  from  the  foolish  burdening 
of  the  child  mind  with  such  meaningless  symbols. 

Write  a  list  of  words  the  meanings  of  which 
you  are  confident  the  pupils  in  your  class  under- 
stand. What  words  will  you  write?  Do  you 
know  any  such  list  ?  You  cannot  convey  knowl- 
edge in  any  other  words.  You  cannot  teach, 
actually  cannot,  until  you  put 
VoJbuiary  thought  iuto  known  symbols. 
Where  will  you  turn  to  get  your 
words?  There  is  only  one  place — you  must 
gather  the  words  from  your  pupils.  Find  the 
words  in  their  vocabulary ;  that  is,  the  words  they 
use  vmconsciously  in  conveying  thought,  and  yon 
will  then  know  within  what  language  limits  you 
must  labor  to  teach  your  class. 

Put  the  truth  of  God  into  the  symbols  of  the 
child's  soul,  and  he  will  understand,  he  will  know, 
he  will  grow.  If  you  find,  in  the  lesson  you  wish 
to  teach,  any  necessary  symbols  that  are  not 
used  by  your  pupils,  teach  these  necessary  words 
before  you  undertake  to  convey  truth  by  means 
of  them.  Remember  that  it  may  be  as  vital  to 
the  child  to  learn  the  full  meaning  of  a  new 
word  as  it  is  to  master  a  new  fact  of  knowledge. 
Do  not  wait  for  your  pupils  to  tell  you  what  lan- 
guage difficulties  lie  in  their  way.     Be  yourself 


120  THE    MAKING   OF   A    TEACHER 

on  the  watch  for  them.  Let  each  child  know 
that  you  appreciate  his  possible  difficulties  and 
are  anxious  to  aid  him  to  the  best  issues  in  his 
study. 

Words  are  the  symbols  with  which  we  think 
the  many  into  the  one.  All  the  separate  objects 
in  nature  that  are  in  an  essential  way  related  by 
similarity  are  grouped  into  one  general  term. 
The  word  names  this  general  term.  When  once 
the  general  term  is  clearly  comprehended  through 
the  power  of  conception,  the  natural  tendency  of 
the  mind  is  to  put  the  new  fact  as  it  comes  into 
consciousness  into  relation  with  the  general  term 
that  denotes  objects  of  that  sort  or  kind.  The 
soul  is  uneasy  with  the  new  fact  until  it  is  identi- 
fied as  belonging  to  the  proper  group,  and  is  ac- 
cepted as  one  additional  indi- 
Concept  Building  vidual  element  of  knowledge  in 
some  general  notion.  The  ques- 
tion is,  "  What  is  it?  "  The  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion comes  when  we  identify  it  as  one  of  the 
many  named  by  the  general  term.  This  general 
term  is  the  product  of  the  power  of  conception, 
and  is  called  a  concept.  The  grammarian  calls 
some  concepts  common  nouns.  The  definition  of 
a  common  noun  is  also  a  descriptive  statement  of 
what  a  concept  is. 

All  the  individual  elements  of  knowledge  that 
we  can  group  under  one  word  are  in  some  essen- 


THE    USE    OF    SYMBOLS  121 

tial  way  related  one  to  the  other.  Good  teaching 
implies  the  power  to  put  many  single  elements 
of  knowledge,  that  is,  many  products  of  percep- 
tion, under  one  symbol  or  word.  To  do  this  re- 
quires the  rarest  insight.    It  compels  the  teacher 

to  present  not  merely  new  things 
xJl^chfng  Dols      to  the  soul,  but  to  present  those 

that  are  related  to  things  already 
in  the  soul,  in  order  that  the  new  may  be  identi- 
fied readily  and  classified  under  some  symbol 
already  present  and  only  partly  filled  with  mean- 
ing. Do  not  for  a  moment  think  that  teaching 
is  giving  new  symbols  for  new  experiences  in 
thought.  If  this  were  so  there  would  be  demand 
for  as  many  separate  symbols  as  there  are  dis- 
tinct percepts  in  the  soul.  This  would  mean 
that  the  power  to  form  concepts  is  ignored,  and 
the  soul  would  never  rise  above  its  most  ele- 
mentary stage  of  development.  A  good  teacher 
will  aim  to  group  the  widest  possible  range  of 
related  ideas  under  one  term  or  word.  An  en- 
riched mind  is  one  that  holds  many  details  of 
knowledge  under  the  fewest  terms.  To  do  other- 
wise is  to  encumber  the  meaning  with  empty 
words,  and  to  impair  the  ability  of  the  pupil  to 
think  readily.  It  results  in  a  mental  condition 
that  is  best  described  by  the  word  scrappy. 
Beware  of  scrappy  teaching.  Make  your  efforts 
count  for  organic  thought. 


122  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

There  is  a  law  of  teaching  that  is  of  great 
value  to  you :  Teach  the  new  fact  in  its  relation 

to  what  is  already  known  by  the 
Relate  Unknown    pupil.      The   ncw    fact   may   be 

wholly  new,  and  hence  unknown. 
Interpret  it  in  the  light  of  the  related  known  facts 
already  organically  set  in  the  powers  of  the  soul. 
All  truth  is  essentially  related.  Each  element  is 
best  understood  in  its  relation  to  each  other  ele- 
ment. Link  all  your  facts  together.  Let  the 
learner  understand  that  all  you  teach  is  related 
to  all  that  you  ever  will  teach ;  that,  in  short,  he 
is  building  his  separate  bits  of  knowledge  Sun- 
day by  Sunday  into  one  great,  compact,  related, 
and  organized  system  of  truth.  The  pupil  does 
not  know  the  new  fact  you  teach  to-day  until  he 
knows  it  as  part  of  all  that  he  is  to  know.  He 
must  not  merely  see  the  new  fact.  He  must  see 
it  in  its  relation  to  other  facts  already  in  his  soul. 
This  power  of  knowing  each  fact  in  its  relation 

to  what  is  already  known  is 
Apperception      sometimes  called  the  power  of 

apperception.  It  is  really  the 
identification  of  new  knowledge  by  the  knowl- 
edge already  in  consciousness.  It  is  thinking 
separate  facts  into  their  appropriate  classes.  To 
enrich  the  soul's  content  is  to  establish  friendly 
relations  between  all  the  separate  elements  of 
knowledge  held  by  the  soul. 


THE    USE    OF   SYMBOLS  1 23 

The  teacher  as  well  as  the  pupil  must  not  only 
know  the  new  knowledge  clearly,  but  also  dis- 
tinctly. By  knowing  it  clearly,  1  mean  knowing 
it,  and  not  something  else  instead  of  it.  Clear 
knowing  stands  opposed  to  all  guessing,  all  vague 
inference,  all  accidental  attainment  of  right 
results.  By  knowing  it  distinctly,  I  mean  know- 
ing it  in  its  relation  to  other 
"^''"oelZd"^'  knowledge;  that  is,  knowing  it 
in  its  class  or  group,  knowing  it 
through  apperception.  The  pupil's  knowledge 
is  of  little  value  unless  it  is  both  clear  and  dis- 
tinct. It  follows  that  the  teacher  must  likewise 
possess  clear  and  distinct  knowledge.  The  pupil 
will  not  attain  what  the  teacher  does  not  possess. 
Even  with  this  equipment  the  teacher  is  but 
poorly  prepared  to  do  good  work.  No  one 
teaches  well  until  his  knowledge  is  not  only  all 
that  the  pupils'  should  be,  but  also  something- 
more.  There  is  need  of  a  reserve  power  in  the 
teacher.  This  reserve  power  gives  confidence 
and  commands  respect.  It  makes  for  all  that  is 
best  in  the  great  work  of  furnishing  the  soul 
with  the  necessary  thoughts  by  means  of  which 
it  may  weave  its  way  steadily  through  mazes  of 
doubt  and  entangling  dangers  up  at  last  to  the 
goal, — full  reconciliation  with  God,  and  an  un- 
derstanding of  the  life  of  consecrated  service 
that  he  loves.     What,  then,  may  we  regard  as 


124  "^"^    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

thLs    additional     form    of    knowledge    that   the 
teacher  should  possess  ? 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-'lraining  Classes. 

Clearly  define  in  your  own  mind  what  a  symbol  really 
is. 

How  do  class  notions  differ  from  individual  ones? 

Note  clearly  the  distinction  between  essential  and  acci- 
dental qualities  of  related  objects. 

Beginning  with  your  first  idea  of  a  tree,  how  did  you 
arrive  at  the  general  concept  tree} 

How,  if  at  all,  has  your  concept  of  God  changed  in  the 
year  just  closed? 

How  can  you  enrich  your  pupil's  soul? 

What  is  the  best  means  of  enriching  the  thought  pro- 
cesses ? 

What  is  the  significance  of  the  phrase  "  Well  begun 
is  half  done"  ? 

Symbols  make  the  soul  free — explain  this  stateinent. 

What  is  the  danger  of  putting  new  ideas  into  the  soul 
already  containing  general  terms  that  you  have  not 
tested  ? 

What  is  the  test  of  good  teaching, — many  words,  or 
many  ideas  with  few  words?     Why? 

Point  out  the  diflference  between  clear  knowing  and 
distinct  knowing. 

General  terms  (concepts)  are  farther  removed  from 
reality  than  particular  terms  (percepts).  Explain  this 
clearly. 


XI 

ON  DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  KNOWLEDGE 

T  F  I  SAY  that  Ruth,  a  Moabite  woman,  the 
daughter-in-law  of  Naomi  and  EHmelech,  the 
widow  of  Alahlon,  was  the  support  of  her 
widowed  mother-in-law,  my  knowledge  is  clear. 
I  know  Ruth,  and  not  some  other  person  in  her 
stead.  My  facts  are,  so  far  as  they  go,  correct. 
My  statement  is  lucid.  This  is  the  simplest  form 
of  knowing  with  which  the  soul  should  concern 
itself. 

If,  now,  I  wish  to  add  to  this  clear  knowledge, 
the  second  form  of  knowing,  I  must  see  Ruth 
in  relation  to  other  facts  of  knowledge.  I  must 
put  my  clear  knowledge  into  its  appropriate  class. 
I  must  find  Ruth  as  the  support  of  Naomi,  the 
faithful  gleaner  in  the  fields  of  Boaz,  the  wife 
of  Boaz.  the  mother  of  Obed,  and  thus  in  the 
ancestry  of  the  Christ  of  the  world.  I  must  see 
her  steadfast,  kindly  considerate,  devout,  humble, 
and  possessed  with  an  almighty 

Distinct  jQ^^g    f^j.    ^ji    ^j^^^    jg    i^gg^    jj^    tj^g 

Knowing 

womanhood  of  Israel.  Thus  my 
knowledge  of  Ruth  becomes  not  only  clear,  but 
also  distinct.    Ruth  is  seen  in  her  relation  to  other 

125 


126       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

persons  and  events  in  the  sacred  narrative.  She 
is  no  longer  an  isolated  element  of  knowledge. 
She  forms  part  of  the  larger  system  of  truth 
with  which  she  has  to  do.  Thus  I  indicate  the 
kind  of  knowing  the  teacher  should  impart  to 
his  pupils.  To  do  this  well,  the  teacher's  knowl- 
edge should  rise  above  clearness  and  distinctness. 
It  should  become  adequate,  by  which  I  mean  see- 
ing the  thing  in  its  elements,  in  its  parts,  in  its 
analysis. 

Take  again  this  illustration.  To  know  Ruth 
adequately  I  must  study  her  in  her  home- 
land, in  her  sorrow  at  the  loss  of  her  husband, 
in  her  firm  resolve  to  follow  Naomi,  in  her 
willingly  assuming  the  role  of  gleaner-beggar 
under  the  law  of  Israel,  in  her  glorious  self- 
surrender  that  she  might  care  for  an  old  and 
helpless  w^oman,  in  her  daily  industry  in  the  har- 
vest field,  in  her  subsequent  discovery  by  Boaz, 
in  her  splendid  exaltation,  in  her  new  home,  in 
her  piety,  her  perfectness,  her  motherhood.  Thus 
by  an  analytic  treatment  of  the  theme  I  am  made 
familiar  with  details  of  great 
Kno^^*g  value  to  me  as  I  teach,  and  even 
if  I  do  not  attempt  to  lift  my 
pupils  to  adequate  knowledge,  my  own  mastery 
of  this  form  of  knowledge  is  the  best  guarantee 
on  the  intellectual  side  that  I  am  fitted  to  give  to 
my  pupils  clear  and  distinct  knowledge.     This 


ON    DIFFERENT   KINDS   OF    KNOWLEDGE     12/ 

additional  form  of  knowledge  is  analytic  beyond 
the  ability  of  the  pupil  below  the  Bible-class 
grade.  But  it  is,  in  my  mind,  the  absolute  pre- 
requisite of  successful  teaching.  Master  the  sub- 
ject in  detail,  if  you  would  teach  well.  Then,  too, 
you  will  find  in  this  added  increment  of  power 
the  secret  of  control.  It  is  relatively  an  easy 
task  to  control  a  class  if  the  teacher's  knowledge 
is  at  once  so  clear,  so  distinct,  and  so  adequate  as 
to  challenge  the  respect  and  the  admiration  of 
the  pnpils. 

Never  use  notes  in  your  teaching,  either 
printed  notes  or  written  notes.  Master  all  these 
aids  before  you  go  to  the  class.  Face  to  face, 
take  up  the  lesson  and  develop  it.  Fix  its  funda- 
mental elements  clearly  in  mind,  and  so  teach. 
You  will  find  that  it  is  a  travesty  on  teaching  to 

ask    printed    questions    from    a 
pTeJaration       lesson-leaf,  and  expect  to  secure 

prepared  answers,  and  at  the 
same  time  secure  the  attention  and  interest  of 
your  pupils.  They  soon  detect  the  insincerity 
of  an  incompetent  teacher,  and  are  likely  to  make 
for  such  a  teacher  the  lesson  hour  a  time  of  sore 
trial  and  useless  effort.  I  wonder  what  our 
honest  opinion  is  in  respect  to  all  this.  Do  you 
honestly  feel  just  right  before  your  class  if  you 
know  you  have  slighted  the  preparation  of  the 
work?     Can  we  truly  commend  our  efforts  to 


128       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

God  for  his  blessing,  when,  forsooth,  our  efforts 
have  been  practically  nothing  ?  Here  is  a  respon- 
sibility, an  opportunity,  an  obligation  to  be  met. 
We  can  ill  afford  to  pass  this  by  unnoted. 

There  is  only  one  other  form  of  knowing, — 
knowing  the  thing  in  its  causes.  This  is  exhaus- 
tive knowledge,  and  belongs  only  to  the  expert. 
But  it  is  an  ideal  worth  keeping  in  mind,  a  goal 
worthy  our  efforts.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  know 
some  one  fact  of  knowledge  exhaustively,  to  be  an 

authority  upon  it,  to  master  it 
Knowing*        ^^  Others  do  not,  and  so  stand 

in  some  authoritative  relation  to 
that  thing.  We  all  respect  expert  knowledge. 
It  is  the  final  guidance.  To  cite  the  opinions  of 
others  is  well,  but  to  create  opinions  for  oneself 
— that  is  best.  Jesus  was  supremely  great  as  a 
teacher.  He  taught  as  one  having  authority. 
His  knowledge  was  exhaustive.  It  touched  the 
remotest  causes.     He  left  nothing  to  be  said. 

Luke  4  :  18-27  is  a  fine  example  of  good  teach- 
ing. Jesus  read  a  Scripture  that  was  well-known 
to  his  hearers.  He  read  it  from  a  familiar  place, 
— the  reading-place  in  the  synagogue.  He  used 
a  familiar  scroll.  He  stood  to  read,  as  did  every 
priest.  He  was  known  perhaps  by  all  those  who 
gathered  that  day  to  worship.  Everything  was 
familiar,  save  only  one  thing.  He  read  the  lesson 
with  a  new  emphasis.    "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 


ON    DIFFERENT    KINDS    OF    KNOWLEDGE     1 29 

is  upon  me,  he  hath  anointed  nic,  he  hath  sent 
7}ic."  It  was  this  designation  of  himself  as  the 
fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  that  stirred  his  hearers. 
There  is  always  something  unique,  strong, 
original,  in  a  great  teacher.  Be  sure  to  find  this 
element.     Fasten  upon  it.     Follow  its  guidance. 

Thus  will  you  catch  in  your  own  spirit  some 
of  the  power  and  majesty  and  dignity  of  great 
teaching.  You  will  also  note  that  the  distinguish- 
ing quality  of  fine  teaching  is  not  in  the  fact  that 
it  is  radically  and  wholly  unlike  other  teaching. 

Good  Teaching  ^^  is  using  the  samc  data,  but  in 
versus  a   way   unknown  to   blundering 

oac  ing  ^^^  untrained  teachers.  I  have 
seen  thousands  of  teachers  at  work  with  tens 
of  thousands  of  pupils.  I  have  but  rarely 
found  wholly  and  absolutely  worthless  teaching. 
Almost  as  rarely  have  I  found  absolutely  fault- 
less teaching.  Most  of  it  contained  at  least  some 
elements  of  worth.  Much  of  it  was  really  com- 
mendable. But  I  wish  I  could  clearly  char- 
acterize the  stupendous  gain  to  the  pupil  whose 
teacher  is  superbly  equipped,  over  and  above  the 
worth  to  the  pupil  of  that  teacher  whose  work 
is  only  fairly  good.  It  is  a  question  largely  of 
margins.  The  difference  between  the  way  we  do 
our  teaching  and  the  way  we  might  do  it  is  not 
great  measured  in  terms  of  effort  on  our  part ; 
it  is  great  measured  in  results  upon  the  souls  of 


130  THE  MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

our  pupils.  Ponder  well  what  this  means  to  you. 
Let  us  endeavor  to  reduce  the  margin. 

A  teacher  writes  me  that  she  has  always  been 
doing  her  best;  but  she  has  not  had  the  success 
she  longed  for.  She  frankly  confesses  that  she 
has  studied  her  commentaries  and  lesson  helps 
in  the  desperation  of  her  desire  to  do  her  best. 
She  also  says  that  her  pupils  are  to  her  more  of 
a  mystery  than  is  her  lesson.  This  is  the  very 
crux  of  the  whole  matter.  Ad- 
^DifHcuity*  mirably  fitted  with  knowledge 
of  the  subject-matter  of  the 
lessons,  she  is  confessedly  ignorant  of  the  ability 
to  fit  this  knowledge  to  the  needs  of  her  pupils. 
They  do  not  share  in  her  splendid  scholarship 
because  she  does  not  know  their  capabilities,  nor 
do  they  know  how  to  utilize  what  she  has  for 
them.  Knowledge  must  be  transmuted  into  spir- 
itual elements  of  a  kind  suited  to  the  hearer,  or 
all  splendid  equipment  fails  to  accomplish  the 
prayed-for  results. 

1  should  like  to  commend  to  the  teacher  at  this 
point  a  careful  re-reading  of  these  chapters  from 
the  first.  Get  the  general  outline  of  soul  pro- 
cesses definitely  fixed,  and  then  measure  every 
pupil  in  your  class  by  this  standard.  Are  you 
aware  that  few  of  our  pupils  are  wholly  normal 
in  their  unfolding?  Do  you  note  and  know  their 
differences    and    variations    from    your    normal 


ON    DIFFERENT    KINDS    OF    KNOWLEDGE      I3I 

standard?  When  these  variations  are  noted,  do 
you  aim  by  all  the  energy  and  skill  you  possess 
to  win  each  pupil  over  to  the  ideal  you  have  set? 

We  have  already  found  how,  by  the  power  of 
conception,  the  soul  bunches  many  concrete  ele- 
ments of  knowledge  into  one  general  class, — on 
the  basis  of  similarity, — and  names  this  general 
class.  This  name  is  a  concept.  Thus  I  come  to 
the  use  of  the  term  apple ;  so  also  I  come  to  other 
general  terms,  as  peach,  pear,  plum,  grape, 
orange,  lemon,  banana,  apricot,  and  aguacate. 
Again,  by  the  same  power,  on  the  basis  of  the 
same  general  quality,  I  can  build  all  these  into  a 
still  more  general  term,  fruit.  This  widening  of 
the  series  goes  on  indefinitely.  Each  generaliza- 
tion becomes  wider;  that  is,  it 

Generalization  includes  more  and  more  separate 
objects  of  knowledge  under  one 
general  term.  Perhaps  if  we  knew  all,  we  could 
group  all  at  last  under  one  word  that  would 
name  all.  Note  that  the  wider  the  generaliza- 
tion the  farther  the  elements  are  removed  from 
reality.  This  is  only  another  way  of  saying  that 
we  drop  increasing  numbers  of  qualities  that  are 
in  each  individual  object,  in  order  to  bring  it 
within  the  compass  of  the  general  term.  If  now 
we  use  these  general  terms  of  symbols  as  instru- 
ments of  thought,  we  find  ourselves  relatively 
free  to  erect  great  systems  of  truth  without  paus- 


132  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

ing  at  each  new  term  to  ascertain  how  many  of 
the  original  concrete  elements  we  retain.  While 
this  is  going  on,  as  it  is  in  every  soul,  we  are 
also  constantly  receiving  new  concrete  elements 
of  knowledge  through  the  wide-open  avenues  of 
perception. 

Thus  at  any  instant  we  find  the  soul  furnished 
both  with  percepts  and  concepts,  with  new  knowl- 
edge still  in  the  concrete,  as  well  as  with  old 
knowledge  in  every  stage  of  advance  to  the  most 
comprehensive  symbols.  The  orange  my  friend 
just  gave  me,  fresh  from  his  favorite  tree  in 
Coamo,  Porto  Rico,  is  side  by  side  with  the  more 
general  tenn  orange,  and  also  with  the  still  wider 
symbol,  fruit.  Now  the  soul  naturally  assumes 
a  very  important  function  with  reference  to  this 
medley  of  knowledge  elements.  It  endeavors  for- 
mally to  find  where  the  new  belongs  in  the  sys- 
tem of  old  knowledge  carried  in  memory  from 

former   experiences.      The    soul 
Mating  Ideas       seems    to    be     fascinated     with 

this  game  of  mating  ideas,  as  a 
child  is  pleased  to  put  together  a  dissected  toy. 
It  endeavors  to  set  relations  that  are  discerned 
in  two  objects  of  thought  over  against  each  other, 
and  affirm  their  agreement  or  their  disagreement. 
This  power  of  the  soul  is  called  judgment.  This 
affirmation  is  a  sentence.  As  a  product  of  an 
act  of  judgment,  it  is  called  a  judgment.    If  the 


ON    DIFFERENT    KINDS    OF    KNOWLEDGE      1 33 

ag-reement    is    affirmed,  it     is    called    a    positive 
judgment.      If   the   agreement   is    denied,    it    is 

called     a     negative     judgment. 
Judgment         Judgment    builds    our    percepts 

and  '  our  concepts  into  higher 
forms  of  thought. 

A  boy  who  for  the  first  time  saw  an  island, 
and  was  told  the  name,  finally  remarked,  "  Why, 
an  island  is  a  piece  of  shore  out  in  the  water." 
He  had  compared  island  and  land,  and  this  was 
his  judgment.  When  I  compare  snow  and 
whiteness  1  announce  the  judgment,  "  Snow  is 
white."  I  also  know  at  once  that  "  Snow  is  not 
black."  Thus  I  affirm  a  positive  as  well  as  a 
negative  judgment  concerning  snow  and  white- 
ness. Seeing  these  relations  between  the  different 
objects  in  thought  is  of  the  highest  educa- 
tional utility.  To  explain  God  is  to  lead  the 
child  to  identify  him  with  the  attributes  of  love 
and  mercy  and  power  and  majesty  and  glory. 

Thus  we  bring  him  within  our 
Judg«ne"nt         Comprehension.       It    is    perhaps 

true  that  we  do  not  begin  to  ex- 
haust the  relations  existing  between  separate 
objects  of  thought.  We  carry  great  series  of  dis- 
connected data  that  should  be  joined  and  wedded 
in  the  soul.  We  do  not  often  enough  exercise 
this  splendid  power  of  judgment.  Every  word 
is  the  symbol  of  some  more  or  less  important 


134       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

fact  of  knowledge.  It  is  the  business  of  the  soul 
to  establish  relations  between  these  symbols. 
God  has  given  us  this  power  of  judgment  for 
that  purpose.  Let  us  endeavor  to  find  the  subtle 
but  essential  ties  that  connect  what  may  at  first 
seem  separate  and  distinct  facts  of  knowledge. 
Thus  we  amass  a  healthy,  a  vigorous,  a  vital 
activity  in  the  soul.  To  join  words  into  sentences, 
to  erect  concepts  and  percepts  into  judgments, 
is  to  give  the  soul  the  freer  sweep,  the  wider  view, 
the  more  Godlike  power.  How  may  this  power 
of  judgment  be  cultivated? 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  four  forms  of  knowledge  are  defined  in  this 
article?    Define  each. 

Take  a  subject,  say,  Gettysburg,  Valley  Forge,  Moses, 
or  Paul,  and  discuss  it,  first  clearly,  then  distinctly,  then 
adequately,  and,  if  you  can,  exhaustively. 

In  what  ways  should  the  pupil  know  a  subject? 

Why  should  the  teacher's  knowledge  be  different  in 
kind  from  that  of  the  pupil? 

Discuss  the  value  of  analytic  knowledge  for  the 
teacher,  of  distinct  knowledge  for  the  pupil. 

Which  form  of  knowing  corresponds  to  apperception? 
Why? 

What  aids  should  the  teacher  use  in  the  class? 

How  does  good  teaching  differ  from  ordinary  teach- 
ing? 


ON    DIFFERENT    KINDS    OF    KNOWLEDGE     1 35 

Discuss  the  value  of  margins  in  equipment. 

Why  is  it  proper  to  say  that  our  pupils  are  not  all 
normal  in  their  unfolding? 

What  is  judgment?  Form  a  group  of  judgments  re- 
lating to  the  words  sheep,  shepherd,  love,  kindness,  John, 
John  Baptist,  and  teaching. 

How  does  a  negative  judgment  arise? 

How  does  a  positive  judgment  arise? 

Write  ten  of  each  kind. 


XII 

FACTS  ABOUT  JUDGMENT 

JESUS  declares  to  his  followers  that  "  with 
what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be  judged." 
This  is  an  eminently  fair  proposition.  We  have 
no  right  to  demand,  or  even  to  expect,  from 
others,  what  we  are  not  willing  to  accord  to 
them.  The  same  central  idea  is  in  the  proverb, 
"  People  that  live  in  glass  houses  should  not 
throw  stones."  It  is  also  found  in  the  saying, 
"  Chickens  come  home  to  roost."  It  is  a  gen- 
eral judgment,  universally  accepted,  that  in  the 
game  of  life  we  should  "  play  fair."  We  are  all 
too  willing  to  form  opinions ; 
Propo^suion  ^hat  is,  to  formulate  judgment 
upon  almost  every  matter  of 
moment  that  arises.  This  is  especially  true  of 
matters  of  education  and  of  religion.  In  some 
range  of  knowledge  we  like  to  think  our  judg- 
ment best.  We  usually  select  the  ranges  in  which 
exact  determinations  are  least  likely  to  be  thrust 
forward. 

I  saw  a  teacher  once  take  a  group  of  children 
out  for  an  afternoon  of  what  she  called  nature 
study.     She  made  the  children  walk  behind  her 
136 


FACTS    ABOUT    JUDGMENT  I  3/ 

with  their  hands  behind  their  backs,  quietly,  in 
perfect  hne,  and  occasionally  she  would  stop  and 
pick  up  a  flower,  or  a  leaf,  or  a  bug,  and,  beckon- 
ing to  the  children,  say,  "  Form  a  circle  around 
me."  Then  she  would  say,  "  Children,  here  is  a 
flower  which   I    have   just    discovered   growing 

amidst    the    grass.      Notice    its 
One  Way         color,  uotice  its  odor,  notice  the 

shape  of  the  petals.  Now,  come 
on."  And  so,  again  and  again,  this  monotonous 
thing  was  repeated  until  every  child  was  sick  of 
the  so-called  lesson  in  nature  study. 

I  saw  another  teacher  with  a  group  of  children 
on  a  similar  mission.  The  teacher  walked  behind, 
and  the  children  ran  in  every  direction,  happy, 
free,  active,  unrestrained ;  and  the  moment  their 
bright  eyes  lighted  upon  a  flower,  or  a  leaf,  or  a 
bug,  or  any  other  object  that  interested  them  and 
caught  their  attention,  they  ran  with  their  find  to 
the  teacher.  The  teacher  smilingly  said,  "  Tell 
me  about  it.  Where  did  you  find  it  ?  What  was 
it  doing?"  And  some  one  would  start  with  a 
most  interesting  and  enthusiastic  statement  of  all 

the   facts  which  they  were  able 
^Wa*y"         ^^  gather  concerning  the  object. 

Then  the  teacher,  with  wise 
questions  and  helpful  suggestions  and  prudent 
guidance,  led  the  child,  step  by  step,  to  discover 
all  that  in  its  haste  and  immaturity  it  had  failed 


138  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

at  first  to  note.  I  felt  in  my  soul  concerning  this 
latter  teacher  that  "  of  such  are  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." 

Let  us  apply  this  to  the  Sunday-school  lesson. 
Some  teachers  come  before  the  class  with  every- 
thing ready,  as  they  should,  and  then,  following 
a  command  that  they  be  quiet,  or  sit  just  so, 
their  feet  just  at  a  certain  place,  their  shoulders 
thrown  back,  their  little  hands  folded  in  their 
laps,  and  their  eyes  glued  on  the  teacher,  the 
children  await  the  mysterious  and  marvelous 
utterances  which  the  teacher  alone  voices.  How 
tired  the  children  are  when  the  lesson  is  over, 
and  how  glad  that  they  can  shake  themselves  and 
forget!  I  have  seen  other  classes  in  which  the 
children  are  crowded  respectfully  around  the 
teacher,  but  not  military  in  attitude ;  not  dis- 
orderly, but  not  statuesque;  and 
The  Application  the  children  are  telling  the 
teacher  out  of  the  depths  of  their 
own  souls  how  the  language  of  the  lesson  has 
impressed  them.  The  teacher,  pleased  but  re- 
served, guides  the  minds  of  the  children,  point 
by  point,  to  the  great  issues,  and  helps  them  to 
discover  the  great  truths.  Nobody  is  tired,  no- 
body wearied,  everybody  surprised,  when  the 
tap  of  the  superintendent's  bell  hints  to  them 
that  time  has  been  consumed  in  a  most  interest- 
ing, helpful,  inspiring  way. 


FACTS    ABOUT    JUDGMENT  I  39 

We  talk  too  much  to  the  child,  as  if  somehow 
it  were  our  duty  to  establish  in  his  mind  an 
impression  of  our  great  resources,  our  marvelous 
skill,  and  our  profound  knowledge.  Let  the 
teacher  understand  that  it  is  his  function  to 
bring-  into  class  the  concepts  which  he  desires 
to  have  compared,  and  then  trust  the  child  to  act 
upon  these,  to  discover  their  relations,  and  to  an- 
nounce their  agreements  in  fitting  language. 

I  have  no  patience  with  that  teacher  who 
wants  things  done  just  so,  who  marks  it  down 
against  a  child  every  time  the  child  shows  the 
least  inclination  to  put  original  thought  into  his 
statements,  and  who  seems  in  some  mysterious 
way  to  feel  congratulated  when  the  children 
grind  out  replies  in  language  memorized  from 
books  and  from  their  teacher.  What  are  we  try- 
ing to  accomplish?  Are  we  seeking  to  educate 
machine-made  products,  or  are  we  endeavoring 
to  develop  a  machine  which,  under  God's  guid- 
ance, will  be  able  by  its  own  inherent  powers  to 
build  truth  and  enjoy  truth?  The  activity  occa- 
sioned is  worth  more  than  the  product,  and  the 
training  of  a  soul  is  of  more  moment  than  the 
correct  language  of  the  answer  to  a  question. 

When  these  judgments  are  once  set  forth  as  a 
result  of  the  pupils'  own  discernment  of  essential 
relations  existing  between  objects  of  thought, 
these  judgments  themselves  become  the  funda- 


140  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

mental  element  upon  which  a  higher  power  of 
the  soul  operates.  This  higher  power  is  reason. 
Reason  puts  two  of  these  judg- 
"  by^Reason"  Hicnts  in  relation,  and  undertakes 
to  set  forth  their  agreement 
or  disagreement,  dealing  with  judgments  in 
the  same  way  that  the  power  of  judgment 
deals  with  concepts.  We  call  the  products  of 
reason  reasons.  Reason  is  tlie  crowning  act.  Its 
product  stands  as  the  last  and  culminating  act 
of  the  intellectual  life.  Everything  that  goes 
before  should  be  tipped  and  pointed  for  reason, 
and  when  we  have  taught  the  soul  of  a  child  to 
reason  correctly  we  have  given  it  the  finest  in- 
tellectual power  that  it  can  acquire. 

Jesus  calls  himself  the  Good  Shepherd.  Why 
is  he  a  shepherd?  Why  is  he  a  good  shepherd? 
What  must  we  set  in  the  soul  as  objects  of  com- 
parison in  order  to  answer  these  questions? 
David  says,  "  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd."  Why 
is  the  Lord  David's  shepherd?  Again,  Jesus 
says,  "  I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life." 
What  do  these  sayings  mean  ?  Let  us  work  them 
out  for  ourselves  with  the  same  care  that  we 
would  work  out  a  problem  in  arithmetic.  Let  us 
not  be  satisfied  with  the  vague  and  somewhat 
comforting  feeling  that  because  these  things  are 
said  in  the  Book  that  we  love,  they  must  be  true 
whether  we  understand  them  or  not.     Help  the 


FACTS  ABOUT  JUDGMENT         I4I 

child  to  analyze  judgments  and  reasons  and  see 
the  bases  upon  which  they  rest ;  thus  as  he  deals 
with  other  judgments  he  will  instinctively  ac- 
quire the  means  of  forming  similar  ones  for 
himself. 

Almost  any  man  or  woman  will  venture  to 
settle  finally  great  questions  in  religion  and  in 
education.  One  does  not  seem  to  realize  that  here 
above  all  other  places  there  is  need  of  great 
caution  and  accurate  judgment.  To  form  correct 
judgments  in  these  momentous  matters  really 
demands  the  finest  training,  the  keenest  insight, 
the  greatest  skill,  the  most  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge. A  dear  friend  the  other  day  remarked  to 
me :  "  I  really  do  not  see  what  need  there  is 
for  extended  training  of  the 
One  View  Suuday-school  teacher  in  rural 
communities.  Tell  the  children 
what  they  should  do  and  what  they  should  not 
do,  and  you  have  it.  Any  person  can  do  this." 
If  this  opinion  be  correct,  it  is  of  course  useless 
to  have  a  prayerful  concern  about  the  matter. 
If,  however,  we  think  that  the  best  teaching  is 
none  too  good  for  His  little  ones,  we  must  hold 
to  a  different  standard.  In  setting  this  different 
standard,  the  question  of  training  the  judgment 
assumes  commanding  proportions.  It  is  not  a 
question  of  creating  the  power  of  judgment  in 
the  soul.     God  has   set   it   there.     It  will  act. 


142  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

The  question  is  one  of  training  this  power,  to 
the  end  that  it  may  put  forth  its  acts  under 
proper  guidance  and  upon  right  materials. 

What  does  the  soul  do  with  concepts?  It 
turns  them  over  to  the  next  cognitive  power, 
called  judgment.  Judgment  uses  them  in  her 
process  to  build  higher  forms  of  thought.  Judg- 
ment deals  with  two  concepts  present  in  con- 
sciousness at  the  same  time,  and  discovers  their 
relations,  asserting  either  their  agreement  or  dis- 
agreement,   and    announcing   its 

A  Question  i       ■  -  j.  i  •   i 

Answered  conclusion  HI  a  Sentence,  which 
sentence  is  either  positive  or 
negative  in  form  as  the  judgment  is  positive  or 
negative.  Here  again  I  may  use  an  illustration 
found  in  a  previous  chapter.  I  say  siiozu  is  zvhite. 
I  have  compared  the  concepts  snozv  and  zvhite- 
ness,  and  asserted  a  relation  which  I  discover  to 
exist  in  both.  I  say  snozv  is  not  green,  and  here 
I  assert  an  absence  of  relation  between  the  no- 
tions snozv  and  greenness. 

We  are  all  the  while  forming  these  judgments. 
They  constitute  a  most  important  part  of  the 
materials  of  thought.  Instinctively,  the  soul 
pushes  these  various  concepts  into  consciousness, 
and  compares  them  to  determine  whether  they 
contain  any  essential  marks  in  common ;  and 
instinctively,  also,  the  soul  seeks  to  set  forth  in 
words  their  agreement  as  thus  discerned.     It  is 


FACTS  ABOUT  JUDGMENT         I43 

better  that  the  child  should  be  led  to  discover 
these  relations  for  himself,  and  set  them  forth 
in  appropriate  language,  than  to  have  the  pro- 
cess performed  for  him  by  the  teacher.  You  will 
notice  the  great  difference  be- 
'^^elcMng'  tween  discovering  these  rela- 
tions for  ourselves  and  having 
these  relations  discovered  for  us.  Beware  of 
mechanical  teaching  here, — of  formal,  cut-and- 
dried,  juiceless,  useless  teaching.  Every  time  the 
occasion  arises  to  do  so,  give  the  soul  of  the 
child  an  opportunity  to  act  for  itself,  to  launch 
out  into  its  myriad  possessions,  and  discover  in- 
herent and  essential  and  vital  relations  existing 
there.  Some  guidance  will  be  necessary,  a  wise 
question,  a  thoughtful  suggestion,  a  little  in- 
telligent guidance,  these  are  perhaps  all  that  the 
teacher  needs  to  provide. 

In  conception  the  soul  comprehends  the  sev- 
eral parts  as  together  comprising  one  thing.   The 
process  is  ended  when  the  union  of  these  parts 
into  one  is  effected,  and  this  one  is  named.     But 
in  judgment  the  soul  comprehends  two  objects 
of  thought   as    two.      These    two    are    set   over 
against  one   another,   and  by  a 
j^dgmlnts        process     of     comparison     their 
agreement    or    disagreement    is 
set  forth  in  a  statement  which  is  called  a  judg- 
ment.   The  fourth  chapter  of  John  discovers  Jesus 


144  '^HE    MAKING    OK    A    TEACHER 

at  Jacob's  Well.  Was  he  thirsty?  To  answer 
this  question  is  to  form  a  judgment.  This  judg- 
ment requires  that  we  hold  in  mind  two  facts, — 
the  fact  of  Jesus  and  the  fact  of  thirst.  The  re- 
lation between  these  facts  must  be  discovered, 
and  the  conclusion  set  forth.  We  say,  "  Jesus  was 
thirsty,"  or  we  say,  "  Jesus  was  not  thirsty."  It 
is  evident  that  this  is  a  difficult  mental  process. 
The  process  is  complex.  Each  element  must  be 
clearly  discerned.  We  must  not  let  one  slip. 
We  must  not  affirm  or  deny  the  fact  till  we  have 
discovered  the  relation  between  two  apparently 
separate  facts  of  knowledge. 

Here  is  matter  for  thought.  The  tendency  in 
children  is  to  form  hasty  judgments,  to  guess  at 
the  conclusion,  to  follow  instantly  the  leadings 
of  the  feelings.  This  power  of  judgment  requires 
an  attitude  of  deliberation  and  of  caution.  This 
attitude  is  not  natural  to  the  child  or  the  youth. 
Experience  has  not  yet  wrought  upon  them. 
They  are  not  fully  aware  of  the  danger  in  hasty 
processes.  Then,  too,  when  once  the  act  has  been 
carried  to  an  issue  and  a  conclusion  announced, 
the  whole  stock  of  knowledge  in  the  soul  rushes 
to  sustain  the  conclusion  an- 
MTJ:!'  70""«d.  There  is  a  pride  of 
judgment  that  renders  difficult 
any  attempt  to  revise  the  conclusion.  Hence  it  is 
of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  first  judgment 


FACTS    ABOUT   JUDGMENT  I45 

upon  the  facts  be  the  best  jiulgment.  Here  the 
wise  teacher  will  pause  and  formulate  an  educa- 
tional law:  Arrive  at  conclusions  in  judgment 
deliberately. 

One  has  to  guard  against  the  tendency,  all  too 
common  in  teaching,  of  demanding  instant  re- 
plies to  questions,  and  hasty  responses  to  state- 
ments of  facts.  We  do  not  seem  to  realize  that 
a  soul  caught  in  the  meshes  of  a  great  thought  is 
a  soul  struggling  and  strengthening.  It  will  arise 
at  last  free,  joyous,  and  glorified.  The  struggle 
is  the  vital  thing.       This  gives 

How  Judgments  li.  i.      j.t-  11 

Should  Grow  culture  to  the  power,  and  value 
to  the  conclusion.  I  count  it 
good  teaching  when  the  judgment  of  the  pupil 
is  for  a  time  in  suspense.  It  is  a  good  practise 
to  put  before  the  pupils  a  story  full  of  concrete 
data,  and  allow  the  pupils  to  find  themselves  in 
the  story, — that  is,  to  consider  all  the  elements, 
and  finally  to  arrive  at  a  conclusion.  The  story 
is  all  the  more  valuable  as  teaching  material  if 
it  contain  concrete  facts  that  appeal  to  the  feel- 
ings and  solicit  from  them  a  response  which  clear 
judgment  may  modify.  You  put  the  struggle  be- 
tween feeling  and  judgment  before  them  and 
only  trained  power  will  enable  them  to  find  their 
way  to  the  right  conclusion. 

A  group  of  boys  were  hungry  for  apples.     In 
an  orchard  near  by  the  trees  were  bending  with 


146       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

ripe  red  fruit.  The  owner  they  knew  had  gone 
to  town  for  his  mail.  There  were  so  many  apples 
that  the  farmer  would  not  miss  just  a  few.  The 
boys  debated  for  a  time  between  desire  and  duty. 
Finally  one  boy  said,  "  Let's  get  some."  Another 
boy  said,  "  I  will  watch  down  the  road  while  you 
run  to  the  trees."  A  third  said,  "  I  won't  take 
these  apples  without  asking  the  owner."  What 
do  you  think  of  each  boy?  Study  your  mental 
process  as  you  are  formulating  your  reply.  You 
will  then  arrive  at  some  understanding  of  the 
process  of  forming  judgments. 
Two  Illustrations  A  mother  said  that  her  son  was 
often  wilful  and  perverse.  He 
insisted  upon  doing  things  she  asked  him  not  to 
do.  He  refused  to  obey  her  commands.  She 
was  often  on  the  point  of  punishing  him,  but  she 
said,  "  He  is  my  only  son.  How  can  I  ?  "  Her 
judgment  was  at  variance  with  her  mother-love. 
It  was  difficult,  it  was  painful,  to  act.  A  man 
who  lived  in  a  city  hoarded  his  money.  He  was 
a  hard  master.  He  drove  sharp  bargains.  He 
insisted  upon  the  last  penny.  He  lived  in  a  small 
house.  He  wore  poor  clothes.  He  ate  cheap 
foods.  His  money  increased  greatly.  He  refused 
to  give  to  any  charity.  He  had  few  friends.  He 
lived  a  lonely  life.  He  died.  People  said,  "  It 
is  a  good  riddance."  But  in  his  will  it  was  found 
that  all  his  savings  were  given  to  care  for  poor 


FACTS  ABOUT  JUDGMENT        14/ 

boys.  He  suffered  for  years  that  he  might  make 
it  possible  to  save  others  from  a  Ufe  of  poverty. 
Was  lie  justified?  Was  his  life  a  success?  See 
again  in  this  incident  how  the  judgment  is  held  in 
suspense.  The  conflict  is  between  feeling  and 
judgment.  Jesus,  in  a  number  of  parables,  sets 
forth  the  same  struggle.  He  realized  that  it  is 
a  good  discipline  for  the  judgment  to  struggle 
against  the  beckonings  of  our  feelings.  To  judge 
wisely  is  to  announce  a  deliberate  conclusion,  no 
matter  how  the  feelings  may  protest.  Judgment 
is  a  feelingless  power.  It  is  the  act  of  the  soul 
in  which  the  facts  are  coolly  examined  and  a 
verdict  rendered  as  judicially  as  a  judge  an- 
nounces a  decree.  Judgment,  like  justice,  is 
blindfolded  that  the  solicitations  of  feeling  may 
not  color  the  conclusion. 

The  motto  of  the  ancient  Greek  was,  "  Let  us 

follow  the  argument  whithersoever  it  leads."    It 

takes  a  brave  and  fearless  intel- 

A  Greek  Motto  lect  to  do  this.  One  Can  see  him 
on  the  track  of  truth,  following 
patiently,  heroically  on,  from  one  conclusion  to 
another.  Refusing  to  be  turned  aside  by  any 
emotion  or  concern,  he  pursues  his  quest  in 
harmony  with  the  fixed  laws  of  thought.  See  him 
as  he  moves  forward.  What  if  his  quest  is  vain, 
still  it  is  his  to  follow  on,  until  hopeless,  relief- 
less,  endless,  he  comes  at  last  face  to  face  with 


148       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

blind,  sickening,  dying  despair.  He  has  lost,  not 
because  he  was  turned  aside,  but  because  he  had 
no  goal.  A  disciple  said,  "  Lo,  we  have  left  all, 
and  have  followed  thee."  Jesus  was  the  great 
argument.  Brave  and  fearless  men  followed 
him  throughout  all  Galilee  and  Judjea ;  down  the 
valley  of  the  Jordan ;  out  into  the  wilderness ;  up 
into  the  mountain ;  through  the  boisterous  and 
buffeting  multitude,  into  the  solitude  of  the  star- 
less night ;  by  the  brook  Kidron 
A  Holy  Quest  and  the  garden  of  Gethsemane ; 
to  the  cross,  the  tomb,  the  gates 
of  death,  and  the  portals  of  life  eternal.  They 
came  at  last  to  see  him  as  God  sees  him,  and  to 
know  him  as  he  knew  them.  They  found  him  ever, 
because  they  followed  him  steadfastly.  Thus  in 
our  quest  for  truth,  step  by  step,  invoking  the 
guidance  of  trained  judgment,  we  shall  come  at 
last  to  the  author  of  all  truth.  Happy  the  teacher 
whose  purpose  is  steadfast ;  whose  path  of  pur- 
suit is  never  clouded  by  doubt  nor  crossed  by 
unbelief,  and  whose  unwavering  resolution  car- 
ries courage  and  comfort  and  conviction  to  his 
pupils.  To  be  fair,  to  be  accurate,  to  be  cautious, 
is  to  inspire  respect  and  to  win  confidence  from 
your  pupils. 

H  we  examine  still  more  clearly  an  act  of  judg- 
ment we  shall  find  that  it  is  accompanied  by  a 
state  of  mind  called  belief.    When  I  announce  a 


FACTS    ABOUT   JUDGMENT  1 49 

judgment,   based   upon    definite    facts,   my   soul 
assents  to  this  judgment.     I  believe  the  conclu- 
sion is  true.    When  I  assert  that 
"'"''Teurf  ""**      snow  is  crystalline,  I  believe  the 
assertion.     When   I   assert  that 
God  is  love,  I  believe  he  is  love.    The  very  fabric 
of  my  judgment  is  belief.     When  I  cannot  be- 
lieve, I  have  not  clearly  judged.     "  Lord,  I  be- 
lieve."   This  is  the  final  v^'ord.     To  set  belief  in 
the  soul,  we  must  train  our  pupils  to  formulate 
true   judgments.      The    attitude    of    belief    rests 
upon  clearness   in   judgment.      Thus   judgment, 
rightly  trained,  becomes  the  strong-sided  cham- 
pion of  conviction. 

Over  against  belief  stands  doubt.  We  have  so 
far  assumed  that  the  soul  in  judging  either 
accepts  or  rejects  a  statement.  We  have  said 
that  judgment  affirms  or  denies  agreement  be- 
tween two  objects  of  thought.  We  have  a  third 
state  of  soul  to  consider.  We  may  waver  be- 
tween acceptance  and  rejection, 
Trise"  ^^^  suspend  our  judgment.  This 

is  a  state  of  doubt.  When  the 
relation  between  the  objects  of  thought  is  not 
discerned,  the  soul  cannot  formulate  a  decision. 
We  are  in  doubt.  When  we  believe  a  thing  the 
mind  is  at  rest.  We  are  ready  to  act.  When 
we  doubt  a  thing  the  mind  is  in  unrest.  We  are 
not  ready  to  act.     We  must  resolve  the  doubt, 


150       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

establish  belief,  and  so  free  the  soul  to  move  on 
to  action.  On  Monday  Mary's  mother  took  her 
for  a  walk.  Yesterday  Mary's  mother  did  not 
do  so.  What  will  Mary's  mother  do  to-day? 
Last  Sunday  the  teacher  of  William's  class  was 
not  present,  nor  was  he  present  the  Sunday  be- 
fore. What  of  next  Sunday?  Twice  in  succes- 
sion James  was  late  at  breakfast,  then  he  was 
on  time  for  three  successive  mornings.  How 
about  the  sixth  ? 

Doubt  moves  the  mind  away  from  the  act  of 
judgment.  The  judgment  is  suspended  until  the 
doubt  is  removed.  Belief  stands  at  one  end,  and 
doubt  at  the  other  end,  of  a  long  series  of  mental 
states.  At  one  end  is  perfect  confidence.  Doubt 
is  wholly  excluded.  At  another  point  doubt  and 
belief  are  exactly  equal.  The  mind  is  deadlocked. 
Farther  on  in  the  descending  series  all  belief  may 
vanish,  and  the  lowest  level,  that  of  absolute  re- 
jection, is  reached.  I  make  bold  to  say  that 
teachers  do  not  ponder  the  issues  of  this  para- 
graph as  they  should.  The  teacher  is  himself  at 
the  point  of  belief.  His  judgment  is  made  up. 
He  assumes  that  he  has  secured  the  same  mental 
state  of  belief  in  his  pupils.  But  has  he?  How 
does  he  know?  Surely  he  should  know.  The 
Sunday-school  class  is  not  a  forum  in  which  the 
teacher  is  to  be  confirmed  in  his  judgment;  it  is, 
in   fact,    the    training-ground    for    young    souls. 


FACTS  ABOUT  JUDGMENT         I5I 

The  vital  thing  is,  what  do  they  beheve?     Upon 
what  judgments   do  they  cHmb  to  clear  convic- 
tion?   What  can  the  teacher  do  to  give  disci])Hne 
and  nutrition  to  tlieir  struggUng 
""dim""       -^o"^s  to  the  end  that  at  last  they 
shall    live    in   the   clear   air   and 
the  serene  heights  whence  they  may  confidently 
proclaim,  "  Lord,  I  believe"  ? 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Why  should  religious  and  educational  problems  re- 
quire the  clearest  judgment? 

Criticize  my  friend's  opinion  of  the  functions  of  the 
rural  Sunday-school. 

Illustrate  the  difference  between  conception  and  judg- 
ment. 

Build  carefully  at  least  a  dozen  judgments,  noting  all 
the  while  the  action  of  the  soul  in  the  progress. 

What  constitutes  mechanical  teaching? 

What  would  you  do  to  avoid  mechanical  processes  in 
your  class? 

What  are  the  leading  characteristics  of  the  judgments 
of  children?     What  do  they  need? 

Is  there  any  danger  in  "  lightning  processes  "  in  teach- 
ing? 

Write  or  narrate  two  or  three  stories  in  which  feeling 
and  judgment  are  in  conflict. 

How  is  belief  related  to  judgment? 

Can  you  figure  in  your  own  mind  the  conflict  between 
doubt  and  belief? 


152  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

This  conflict  may  be  represented  by  a  figure  in  which 
the  range  of  doubt  gradually  yields  to  the  range  of  be- 
lief.   Draw  such  a  figure. 

Is  the  teacher  doing  all  that  is  necessary  when  he 
himself  forms  clear  judgments  and  arrives  at  stable 
belief? 

In  belief  the  soul  is  at  rest.  In  doubt  it  is  not.  Ex- 
plain. 


XIII 

REASON  AND   EDUCATIONAL  ENDS 

VII7HEN  I  was  a  barefoot  boy  in  the  days  that 
never  lose  their  fragrant  memories,  I  fre- 
quently accompanied  my  mother  and  other 
women  of  blessed  memory  to  the  near-by  moun- 
tains to  gather  huckleberries.  The  long  walks  up 
the  mountainside  in  the  cool  of  the  morning,  the 
frequent  rests  by  the  mossy  rocks,  the  refreshing 
drink  from  the  clear  spring  under  the  trees,  the 
chirp  of  birds,  the  flash  of  a  squirrel  leaping 
among  the  leafy  branches,  the  luncheon  at  the 
noon  hour,  the  tedious  task  of  picking  the  blue 
globules  that  filled  my  bucket  all  too  slowly,  the 

weary  journey  home, — all  these 
Memories         incidents  now  flood  my  memory 

and  moisten  my  eyes.  The  very 
hand  that  is  commanded  to  write  trembles  to 
record  what  seems  almost  too  sacred  for  the 
many  to  share. 

I  recall  now  my  mother's  remark,  "  My  son, 
you  have  some  ripe  berries,  some  green  ones, 
some  leaves,  and  some  twigs.  You  must  keep 
your  eye  on  the  ripe  berries  only  if  you  would 
save  me  the  task  of  going  over  your  work  again." 

153 


154  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

The  boy  was  anxious  to  fill  his  bucket.  He  was 
not  at  all  concerned  as  to  the  quality  of  the  con- 
tents. Is  this  not  likewise  a  picture  of  our  efforts 
to  gather  facts  of  knowledge? 

We  snatch  greedily  any  and  all  things  that  will 
"  fill  up  "  our  quota  of  information.  There  is  no 
order,  no  unity,  no  harmony,  in  the  things  we 
gather.  If,  however,  we  would  gain  at  last  a 
harmonious  group  of  similar  or  related  facts,  we 
must  fasten  our  mind's  eye,  attention,  upon  the 
kind  of  facts  we  most  need.  We  must  gather 
related    facts   of   knowledge,  or 

Basis  of  Accurate  ,  •       .  i_       .         i  i 

Judgment  paticnt  processes  by  teacher  and 
parent  alike  will  be  required  to 
sort  our  mental  wares  and  fit  them  for  organic 
relations.  Accurate  judgment  presupposes  wide 
experience  with  the  facts  involved.  Avoid  hasty 
generalizations.  Do  not  speedily  leap  to  con- 
clusions. 

A  teacher  in  a  public  school  in  an  eastern  city 
one  afternoon  found  one  of  her  pupils  fast 
asleep.  She  wakened  him  rather  roughly,  and 
bade  him  attend  to  his  lessons.  The  next  day 
she  found  him  asleep  again.  She  gave  him  a 
sound  shaking,  and  said,  "If  this  happens  again, 
you  go  to  the  principal  for  punishment."  It  did 
happen  again  and  the  boy  was  sent  to 
the  principal  with  a  note  from  the  teacher 
explaining    his  conduct,  and  declaring    that  the 


REASON    AND    EDUCATIONAL    ENDS  1 55 

boy  was  too  stupid  to  remain  in  school.  The 
principal,     after     reading    the    note,    looked   at 

the  boy,  and  said,  "  My  lad, 
^"  scioo"*  '"     tell  me  why  you  sleep  in  school." 

The  boy  hung  his  head  and 
made  no  reply.  The  principal  called  the  boy  to 
his  side  and  said,  "  I  am  sure  there  is  a  reason 
for  this.  Surely  no  boy  would  sleep  in  school 
unless  he  had  good  cause  to  do  so,  and  I  assure 
you  that  I  will  be  glad  to  aid  you  if  I  can.  Come, 
tell  me  all  about  it."  Assured  by  this  kindly 
treatment  the  boy  said,  "  Well,  if  I  must  tell  you, 
I  will.  I  have  no  father.  My  mother  washes 
every  day  to  earn  bread  for  us,  and  to  pay  the 
rent.  My  little  sister  is  sick  now,  and  mother 
can't  go  out  to  wash.  So,  to  help  her,  I  get  up 
at  four  o'clock  and  carry  the  morning  papers  to 
the  houses  in  our  end  of  the  city.  I  get  home 
late  in  the  morning,  cold  and  hungry.  We 
haven't  much  to  eat.  Then  I  come  to  school,  and 
along  in  the  afternoon  I  get  so  sleepy  I  just  can't 
keep  awake.  The  teacher  scolded  me  and  sent 
me  up  here.  That's  all  there  is  about  it."  The 
principal  put  his  hand  on  the  boy's  head,  and 
said,  "  You're  a  brave  fellow.  I  do  understand, 
my  boy,  and  if  I  can  I  mean  to  help  you.  Help 
your  mother,  come  to  school,  never  mind  what 
the  teacher  said.  She  didn't  know."  What  the 
principal  said  to  that  teacher  you  may  conjecture. 


156       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

Be  assured  it  was  good  pedagogy.  If  we  knew 
the  facts  we  would  not  so  harshly  and  so  hastily 
judge. 

When  we  discover  truth-relations  we  announce 

a  judgment.     When  we  discover  cause-relations 

we  announce  a  reason.     Reason  is  the  product 

of  a  mental  process  in  which  we  compare  two 

judgments   and   set    forth   in    a 

Reason  Defined  third  judgment  the  cause-rela- 
tion that  may  exist  between 
them.  Judgment  uses  the  products  of  percep- 
tion and  of  conception.  Reason  uses  the  products 
of  judgment.  The  highest  thought  activity 
exercised  by  the  soul  is  reason. 

Since  relations  are  only  mental  phenomena  it 
follows  that  reason  is  an  abstract  activity.  Its 
materials  and  its  products  are  alike  removed 
from  the  realm  of  the  concrete.  The  broader 
the  generalization,  the  more  comprehensive  the 
law  formulated  by  reason,  the  less  easily  may  we 
verify  its  conclusions  by  referring  the  result  to 
sense  experiences.  The  things  of  reason  are  not 
the  things  of  sense.  The  final  development  of 
the  soul  on  the  intellectual  side  is  the  develop- 
ment of  reason.  Reason,  both  as  a  power  and 
as  a  product,  is  exclusively  the  activity  of  the 
human  soul.  No  other  animal  reasons,  no  matter 
what  other  mental  traits  it  may  possess.  To  say 
that  a  man  possesses  good  reason  is  to  pay  him 


REASON    AND   EDUCATIONAL   ENDS  1  $y 

the  highest  compliment  possible  in  the  domain  of 
the  intellect.     It  follows  that  the  teacher  must 

have    in   mind   such   a   develop- 
^RM^onr*        ment  of  the  pupil  as  will  at  last 

culminate  in  the  exercise  of  this 
highest  power  of  the  soul  on  the  intellectual 
side. 

While  it  is  necessary  to  keep  in  mind  that 
reason  is  different  from  judgment  and  is  a 
higher  power,  it  is,  perhaps,  wise  to  remember 
that  a  complete  analysis  of  these  higher  pov>rers 
would  show  such  a  blending  of  judgment  and  of 
reason  that  we  may  with  no  violence  of  our  pur- 
pose think  of  them  jointly  as  the  comparative 
or  cognitive  or  thinking  power  of  the  soul. 

We  have  now  discussed  the  perceptive  powers, 
the  representative  powers,  and  the  cognitive 
powers.  There  are  no  more  to  trace.  We  have 
concluded  the  cycle  of  the  intellectual  powers. 
There  remains  a  consideration  of  the  feelings 
and  of  the  will  to  cover  the  whole  range  of  soul 
activity.  All  the  laws  of  the  soul,  all  the  data 
of  pure  psychology  fall  within  the  outline  here 
presented.     Upon  these  laws  of  the  soul,  as  a 

basis,     rest     the     principles     of 
^^'easi^'"'       Pedagogy;    upon    the    principles 

of  pedagogy  rest  the  general 
methods  of  teaching;  and  upon  the  general 
methods  of  teaching  rest  the  special  methods  of 


158  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

teaching  the  several  branches  of  knowledge.  Thus 
a  special  method  is  justified  by  some  general 
method,  which  is  in  turn  justified  by  some 
pedagogic  principle,  and  this  general  principle  is 
justified  by  some  law  of  the  soul.  You  will  see 
from  this  why  the  pedagogue  is  concerned  with 
the  laws  of  the  soul. 

Teacher-training  for  the  Sunday-school  is 
thus  seen  to  be  the  same  as  teacher-training  for 
all  schools,  until  we  reach  the  special  method 
that  relates  to  the  subject  we  aim  to  teach.  In 
the  case  of  the  Sunday-school  teacher,  the  subject 
is,  of  course,  religious  truth.  The  problem  is  to 
comprehend  the  general  principles  of  the  process, 
common  to  all  good  teaching,  and  then  to  turn 
all  this  broad  training  to  use  in  the  domain  of 
religious  truth.  The  fact  is  that  this  broader 
view  of  the  problem  is  the  most  important  phase 
of  our  study.  How  can  we  do  consistently  the 
daily  tasks  if  we  do  not  understand  to  what  end 
it  all  is  to  trend  ?  The  ability  to  teach  each  lesson 
as  part  of  the  whole  truth,  to  make  each  fact 
not  only  clear,  but  to  relate  it  widely  to  other 
facts,  to  establish  innumerable  thought  relations, 
this  is  to  teach  wisely.  Let  us  consider  some  of 
the  general  educational  principles  that  naturally 
are  related  to  the  more  fundamental  laws  of  soul- 
growth. 

What  is  the  end  to  be  visioned  by  the  teacher 


REASON    AND    EDUCATIONAL    ENDS  1 59 

and  ultimately  realized  by  the  pupil?  Here  is  a 
far-reaching  question.  It  is  also  a  necessary 
question,  because  we  can  never  do  the  wisest 
work  in  the  least  time,  and  with  a  minimum  of 

effort,  unless  we  know  from  the 
End°^  ^^     ^^^y   beginning    what   the    final 

issue  is  to  be.  Here  is  the  child 
just  opening  its  wonder-eyes  in  the  primary 
class : 

"Just  a-peeping 
Through  the  sleeping 

Month  of  infanthood; 
Into  wonder, 
Into  yonder 

Life's  infinitude. 

"Just  awaking, 
Just  a-taking 

Everything  for  truth ; 
Never  dreaming 
Of  the  teeming 

Fallacies  of  youth. 

"Just  a-walking, 
Just  a-talking. 

Little  butter-ball; 
Just  a  yearning 
To  be  learning 
Anything  at  all." 

What  of  this  one?    Whither  shall  our  teach- 
ing and  our  training  lead  its  footsteps,  its  heart- 


I50  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

beats,  its  thought-processes?  The  wise  man 
admonishes  us  to  "  train  up  "  this  child, — up  to 
what  ?  What  is  the  goal  ?  Over  what  track  shall 
its  life-race  be  run?  Where  are  the  laurel- 
wreaths  set  and  the  victory  won?  We  all  have 
an  answer  to  these  questions.  But  is  our  answer 
a  usable  one?  Does  it  give  us  guidance  in  our 
daily  teaching?  Let  us  consider  this  end  up  to 
which  the  child  is  to  be  led. 

What  marks  the  progress  of  mankind  from 
savagery  to  civilization  ?  How  do  we  differ  from 
the  savage?  The  answer  to  this  query  will  for- 
mulate the  gifts  of  civilization.  We  are  only 
the  savage  plus  the  endowments  of  civilization. 
These  endowments  are  the  great 

Institutions  ,•,     ,•  r    ,1        i 

Defined  uistitutions   01   the  human   race. 

These  institutions  may  be 
grouped  into  six, — home,  industry,  society,  state, 
school,  and  church.  These  six  contain  all  that 
makes  civilization.  Cut  these  away,  and  we 
remain  only  savages.  The  stage  of  our  civiliza- 
tion is  determined  by  the  degree  in  which  we 
honor  all  these  and  recognize  their  relative  value 
as  ends  in  the  up-bringing  of  a  human  soul.  Of 
these,  religion,  the  function  of  the  church,  is  the 
most  vital,  and  its  relation  to  the  others  is,  next 
to  its  own  observance,  the  most  important  prob- 
lem to  be  worked  out  in  the  education  of  each 
child.    The  end,  then,  is  to  train  the  child  to  live 


REASON    AND    EDUCATIONAL    ENDS  l6l 

completely.  To  live  completely  is  to  live  in  active 
sympathy  with  these  great  institutions  of  our 
civilization.  To  "  train  up  "'  means  to  train  the 
child  to  an  understanding  of  these  great  institu- 
tions and  to  a  cheerful  and  cordial  acceptance  of 
their  worth  as  personal  possessions  of  his  own 
soul.  The  first  five  named  are  the  institutions 
usually  honored  in  the  secular  school.  The  last 
and  the  greatest  is  peculiarly  the  one  whose  sig- 
nificance is  unfolded  in  the  Sunday-school.  To 
train  up  a  child  to  a  religious  life,  a  life  of  ser- 
vice, patterned  after  the  perfect  life  of  the  Son 
of  God,  is,  then,  the  end  we  have  in  mind.  This 
implies  that  religious  life  must  also  be  under- 
stood as  a  vital  equipment  for  right  interpreta- 
tion of  these  other  great  institutions.  To  live 
completely  means  not  only  to  live  religiously,  but 
it  also  means  to  live  in  a  home  sanctified  by 
religion,  to  apply  the  principles  of  religion  to 
one's  daily  toil,  to  cultivate  only  religious  asso- 
ciations, to  labor  for  a  religious  government,  and 
to  promote  only  such  education  as  comprehends 
the  words  of  Jesus :  "And  this  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  should  know  thee  the  only  true  God, 
and  him  whom  thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus 
Christ." 

Here  let  us  pause  and  formulate  the  end  of 
education  that  the  Sunday-school  should  foster. 
See  clearly  what  it  means  to  train  a  soul  up  into 


1 62  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

high  and  holy  service.     Fix  this  end  firmly  in 

your  mind.     It  is  only  by  doing  this  that  we  shall 

The  End  for  the    ^^"^w  how  to  interpret  the  les- 

Sunday-schooi     sons   and   quicken   the   activities 

of  the  pupils.     Note  also  that  a 

clear  comprehension  of  a  definite  end  to  a  large 

degree   determines    the    process    by    which    it    is 

attained.      Longfellow,   in   an   eloquent  plea   for 

the  birds,  calls  their  habitations  in  the  tree  tops 

"  half-way  houses  on  the  road  to  heaven."     Let 

us  see  that  each  lesson  we  teach  becomes  for  our 

pupils  a  distinct  advance  to  the  same  ultimate 

goal. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  makes  one  fact  of  knowledge  more  valuable  than 
another? 

Point  out  the  danger  of  hasty  generalizations. 

Had  you  been  the  principal  in  the  case  cited  what 
would  you  have  said  to  the  teacher? 

Just  what  do  you  understand  to  be  the  function  of 
the  soul's  power  called  reason? 

Is  the  test  of  reason  the  final  test  of  truth  ?     Why  ? 

Construct  a  diagram  showing  the  relation  of  psycho- 
logic law  to  educational  principle,  to  general  method, 
and  to  special  method. 

How  does  teacher-training  for  the  Sunday-school  dif- 
fer from  the  training  of  the  teacher  of  the  secular  school? 
In  what  aspects  do  they  agree? 


REASON    AND    EDUCATIONAL    ENDS  163 

What  is  the  end  of  education  generally?  Of  religious 
education  ? 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  command,  "  Train  up  a 
child  ?  " 

Define  civilization,  and  enumerate  its  gifts  to  the 
human  race. 

How  does  religion  relate  itself  to  the  other  great  insti- 
tutions of  civilization? 

When  the  pupils  are  ours  to  educate,  what  is  the  end 
we  should  keep  constantly  in  mind  ? 

Does  every  lesson  you  teach  count  mightily  for  the 
final  purposes  of  life? 

In  what  way  does  the  aim  of  the  Sunday-school  differ 
from  the  aim  of  the  secular  school? 

Does  the  secular  school  give  a  complete  education? 


XIV 

SOME  LAWS  OF  TEACHING 

A  MIEL  tells  ns  "  Never  to  tire,  never  to 
"^^  grow  cold ;  to  be  patient,  sympathetic, 
tender;  to  look  for  the  budding  flower  and  the 
opening  heart ;  to  hope  always,  like  God ;  to  love 
always, — this  is  duty."  It  is  also  a  figuring  of 
the  process  of  teaching. 

I  commend  his  words  as  a  wise  guidance  for 
the  teacher.  This  process  of  teaching  is  con- 
ditioned by  the  end  set  in  the  soul  of  the  teacher. 
If  that  end  be  tlie  training  of  the  individual  to 
right  relations  to  the  great  institution  of  our 
civilization,  the  individual  may  then  be  said  to 
live  completely.  To  the  achievement  of  this  end 
we  must  seek  to  give  intellectual,  moral,  and 
physical  training  to  the  pupil.  Yet  even  in  the 
Sunday-school    our    training    is 

hiTenecfuaUzed  over-intellcctiialized.  We  seem 
to  be  more  zealous  in  developing 
the  intellect  than  \vq  are  in  developing  the  moral 
or  religious  life.  We  have  a  craving  for  results 
that  may  be  measured.  We  have  learned  how 
to  measure  knowledge.  We  have  not  so  fully 
learned  how  to  measure  the  products  of  the  emo- 
164 


SOME   LAWS   OF  TEACHING  l6$ 

tional  and  of  the  volitional  life,  and  where  we 
cannot  measure  we  do  not  try  so  carefully  to 
build.  The  necessary  soul  equipment  includes 
not  only  knowledge,  but  also  skill  and  power. 
Our  emphasis  is  placed  upon  what  the  content 
of  the  soul  is,  rather  than  upon  what  the  soul 
becomes  under  the  training  of  the  teacher. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  pedagogic  thought 
of  the  day  was  colored  by  the  philosophy  of  John 
Locke.  Then  the  test  of  service  was  the  answer 
to  the  question,  What  do  you  know?  We  then 
passed  to  a  conception  of  teaching  that  demanded 
an  answer  to  the  question,  What  can  you  do? 
Now,  we  must  exact  as  the  standard  an  answer 
to  the  question,  What  are  you?  For  we  teach 
more  by  what  we  are,  than  by  what  we  know 
or  do.  Each  advance  has  been  a  valued  one. 
We  shall  at  last  come  to  the  standard  set  by 
Jesus,  "  Be  ye."  When  we  are  what  we  would 
have  our  pupils  become  we  can  best  teach  others. 

In  education  culture  is  worth  more  than  knowl- 
edge. Not  what  we  know,  but  what  we  are 
capable  of  knowing,  is  of  first  importance  in  the 
process.  True  teaching  never  fails  to  recognize 
that    the     culture    acquired     in 

Value  of  Culture    learning  anything  is  worth  more 

than  the  knowledge  of  the  thing. 

A  fact  as  knowledge  is  frequently  of  small  value ; 

but  as  the  developer  of  skill  and  power  its  value 


1 66  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

may  be  great.  There  is  an  abundance  of  religious 
knowledge  fashioned  by  skilled  workmen  and 
ready  at  hand.  The  fountains  of  religious  cul- 
ture are  running  low.  The  soul  craves  drink  as 
well  as  food.  We  really  need  a  culture  of  the 
religious  spirit, — a  culture  that  will  give  grace, 
dignity,  and  humility  to  all  our  deeds. 

The  fine  art  of  teaching  aims  to  develop  in  the 
human  soul  knoivlcdge,  poiver,  and  skill.  To  the 
attainment  of  these  ends  it  is  essential  that  the 
mind  of  the  teacher  be  organized  in  harmony 
with  fundamental  educational  laws,  and  that  the 
teaching  process  be  conducted 
Itms""  ^^^  harmony  with  the  enlightened 
methods  that  have  gained  cur- 
rent use  because  of  their  intrinsic  worth. 

Paul,  in  writing  to  the  Hebrew  brethren,  points 

out  the  fact  that  strong  meat  belongeth  to  them 

that  are  of  full  age.     He  also  says  that  babes, 

unskilled  in  the  word  of  righteousness,  must  use 

milk.     Here  is  a  recognition  of  the  fact  that  the 

food  of  the  soul  varies  in  kind  with  the  age  of 

the  pupil;   that,    in    fact,    the    capability   of   the 

pupil  to  grasp  truth  varies  in  the 
The  Law  of  .  ,  r  u-        j 

Capacity         successive  stagcs  of  his  advance. 
To  what  may  we  attribute  this 
constantly  varying  capability  ? 

I.  Evidently   not    to    the    varying    energy    of 
the  soul  as  a  whole ;  for  if  this  were  so,  primary 


SOME    LAWS    OF   TEACHING  1 6/ 

pupils  and  Bible-class  pupils  could  be  taught  the 
same  kind  of  knowledge  by  the  same  method. 
The  only  variation  in  the  grades  would  be  in  the 
amount  of  knowledge  taught.  Small  doses  for 
small  pupils,  large  doses  for  adults,  would  be 
the  fornmla.  But  there  is  a  difference  in  kind 
and  in  method  as  well  as  in  amount.  The  teacher 
has  thus  a  threefold  change  to  provide  for. 

2.  Evidently  not  to  the  absence  or  non- 
activity  of  some  of  the  powers  of  the  soul  in 
young  pupils,  and  their  presence  or  activity  in 
older  pupils.  If  this  were  the  true  theory  of  soul 
growth,  we  would  have  the  theory  of  successive 
creation  of  new  powers  for  the  soul  through  the 
years  of  educational  advance.  We  cannot  think 
of  this  theory  of  soul  creation  and  retain  our  idea 
that  God  makes  each  soul  complete  from  the 
beginning. 

3.  It  follows  then  that  all  the  powers  are 
present  at  the  beginning,  but  that  there  is  marked 
change  in  the  relative  activity  of  these  powers  as 
the  child  moves  through  the  successive  stages  of 

his  educational  advance.  This 
Theory^         change    in   the    relative    activity 

explains  the  fundamental  quality 
of  instruction  in  the  different  grades.  Early  in 
life  it  is  for  the  most  part  the  presentative  powers 
that  are  active.  Later  on,  the  representative 
powers    dominate,    and    after   adolescence,   the 


1 68  THE   MAKING   OF   A  TEACHER 

cognitive  powers.  Thus  in  the  primary  grade 
the  process  is  teaching  through  objects;  in  the 
intermediate  grades  the  process  is  teaching 
through  symbols',  and  in  the  advanced  grades 
the  process  is  teaching  through  elaboration  ;  that 
is,  through  the  discerning  of  thought  relations 
by  means  of  analysis  and  synthesis.  It  follows 
that  both  in  the  materials  of  instruction  and  in 
the  method  of  instruction  the  teacher  must  adapt 
himself  to  the  capacity  of  the  pupil. 

At  one  pole  of  our  educational  world  are 
grouped  the  concrete  data  immediately  reported 
by  the  senses.  At  the  other  pole  are  grouped  the 
abstract  data,  elaborated  by  conception,  judg- 
ment, and  reason,  and  the  order  of  growth  is 
from  one  to  the  other  of  these  intellectual  poles. 
Sensation  reports  facts  about  things.  Reason 
reports  facts  about  relations  as  discerned  in 
symbols.  The  general  law,  then,  of  all  teaching 
is:  From  the  concrete  to  the  abstract,  from  the 
particular  to  the  general,  from  the  simple  to  the 
complex, — in  short,  from  things 
Reason^  **  to  symbols  and  relations.  When 
once  this  whole  range  of  process 
has  been  covered,  it  is  often  wise  and  easy  to 
pass  at  once  from  the  most  simple  to  the  most 
complex,  from  the  concrete  to  the  abstract.  This 
is  a  method  frequently  used  by  Jesus.  The  rich 
elements  of  feeling  cling  close  to  the  concrete 


SOME    LAWS    OF    TEACHING  1 69 

and  particular  facts  in  the  soul.  The  keen  ele- 
ment of  thought  naturally  clusters  around  the 
abstract  and  general  facts  in  the  soul. 

Teacher  A  says,  "  Children,  it  is  noble,  good, 
and  grand  to  be  kind  and  helpful  to  those  in  need. 
This  is  all  the  more  true  when  the  person  in  need 
is  a  cripple.     I  want  you  to  remember  this,  and 

try  always  to  be  on  the  lookout 
Two  Illustrations    for  chances  to  render  such  aid." 

Teacher  B  says,  "Children,  one 
cold  Sunday  morning  in  December,  when  the 
pavements  were  icy  and  dangerous,  an  old  man 
was  slowly  making  his  way  to  church.  He  was 
a  cripple.  He  trembled  as  he  leaned  on  his 
crutch  and  his  cane.  At  the  steps  to  his  church 
he  set  his  crutch  and  cane  upon  the  icy  stone  and 
endeavored  to  lift  his  weak  and  trembling  body 
to  the  next  step.  His  crutch  slipped  on  the  ice. 
He  almost  fell.  Thus  several  times  he  did  his 
best  to  enter  his  church.  Each  time  he  slipped 
and  with  pain  recovered  himself.  Just  then  a 
college  boy  came  that  way.  He  saw  the  old  man 
in  his  struggle,  and,  hurrying  forward,  put  his 
arms  gently  around  the  poor  cripple,  lifted  him 
carefully  to  the  vestibule,  opened  the  door,  set 
the  old  man  down,  and  walked  hastily  away. 
Tell  me,  children,  what  you  think  of  the  college 
boy.  Tell  me  also,  if  you  care  to,  what  you 
would  have  done  had  you  been  there." 


I/O  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

Which  of  these  teachers  did  the  thing  more 
nearly  in  harmony  with  the  educational  law  here 
announced?  How  are  you  teaching?  Are  you 
like  A,  or  like  B?  Do  you  give  facts  first,  or 
definitions  first? 

A  certain  lawyer  came  one  day  to  test  a  great 
teacher.  The  lawyer  asked  a  question.  The 
teacher  answered  it  by  quoting  words  the  lawyer 
well  knew.  But  the  lawyer  was  not  satisfied.  He 
wanted  to  test  the  teacher  still  more — to  ascer- 
tain, if  he  could,  whether  the  teacher  knew  only 
the  words  of  the  law  or  whether  he  really  was  a 
teacher  of  power  and  skill.  The  second  question 
could  not  be  answered  by  quoting  words  known 
to  the  lawyer.  It  could  be  ansv^'ered  only  by 
original  statement  on  the  part  of  the  teacher. 

Let  us  study  the  method  of  the  Great  Teacher. 
Had  he  been  like  A,  he  would  have  said, 
"  Lawyer,  your  neighbor  is  your  helper  in  time 

of     need."       But     the      Great 
T^u/ht"*        Teacher   said,   "A   certain   man 

went  down  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho.  He  fell  among  thieves.  They  tore  from 
him  his  garments.  They  beat  him  with  clubs  and 
stones.  They  threw  him  into  the  bushes  by  the 
roadside,  thinking  him  half  dead,  and  ran  away. 
Soon  a  priest  came  down  the  road.  He  saw  the 
wounded  and  dying  man.  He  turned  from  the 
middle  path  to  the  farther  side  of  the  road,  and, 


SOME   LAWS   OF   TEACHING  I /I 

scarcely  looking  around,  hurried  on.  Then  a 
Levite  came  down  the  road.  He  saw  the 
wounded  and  dying  man.  He  stopped  for  a  mo- 
ment, looked  at  the  man,  looked  up  and  down 
the  road,  and  then  hurried  on.  Then  a  poor 
Samaritan  came  riding  by  on  his  donkey.  He 
saw  the  wounded  and  dying  man.  He  leaped  from 
his  donkey,  ran  to  the  man,  bound  up  his  bleed- 
ing wounds,  poured  soothing  oil  and  wine  upon 
his  cuts  and  bruises,  spoke  words  of  sympathy 
and  cheer,  lifted  him  tenderly  upon  the  donkey's 
back,  and  brought  him  to  an  inn  or  hotel.  Here 
the  Samaritan  cared  for  the  man  all  through  the 
night,  and  the  next  day  before  leaving  gave 
money  to  the  inn-keeper,  and  said,  '  Care  for  this 
man  until  he  is  well.  If  the  cost  is  more  than  I 
have  paid  you  in  advance,  I  will  settle  on  my 
return.'  Tell  me,  Lawyer,  which  of  the  three, 
priest,  Levite  or  Samaritan,  was  neighbor  to  the 
man  that  fell  among  thieves?" 

The  lawyer  needed  no  more  information.  He 
was  now  able  to  answer  his  own  question.  He 
had  met  a  real  teacher,  who  knew  how  to  teach, 
and  how,  also,  in  teaching  to  lay  bare  the  insin- 
cerity and  the  quibbling  of  a  foolish  questioner. 
This  is  great  teaching.  He  that  did  it  is  your 
model. 

The  child  speedily  reaches  a  stage  in  his  devel- 
opment in  which  knowledge  may  be  presented  in 


172  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

symbols,  especially  in  the  symbols  we  call  words. 
Thus  things  are  by  no  means  so  widely  valuable 
as  instruments  of  instruction  as  is  language.  A 
wise  teacher  will  be  on  the  alert  to  detect  the 
moment  when  concrete  teaching  with  objects  may 
be  supplanted  by  teaching  with 

When  Words         t  r^r  r  . 

are  Valuable  language.  Of  course  reference  to 
objects  will  continue  all  through 
the  grades,  both  in  teaching  a  new  idea,  and  in 
making  vivid  what  may  have  been  in  part  or  in- 
adequately understood.  But  freedom  to  teach 
as  one  should  teach  comes  only  where  the  pro- 
cess may  go  on  profitably  in  language.  The 
question  is,  then,  to  determine  under  what  condi- 
tions instruction  through  language  may  be  profit- 
ably carried  on.  The  answer  is  most  important : 
Only  when  the  words  used  in  the  teaching  pro- 
cess represent  known  ideas.  We  cannot  teach 
with  the  words  that  are  not  understood  by  the 
child  any  more  than  we  can  move  the  mill  with  \ 
the  water  that  has  run  by. 

When,  as  I  suspect  we  frequently  do,  we  use 
language  that  is  void  of  meaning  to  the  learner, 
one  of  two  things  results, — the  learner  either  be- 
comes discouraged  or  is  overawed,  and  there 
arises  in  his  soul  a  vague  feeling  that  there  is 
some  hidden  and  mysterious  implication  in  the 
matter  presented  into  which  he  is  supposed  to 
be  unable  as  yet  to  penetrate.    This  latter  frame 


SOME    LAWS   OF   TEACHING  1 73 

of  mind  is  all  too  common.  Perhaps  some  of  us 
even  foster  it.  But  it  has  no  justification.  Strive 
by  all  the  power  you  possess  to  occasion  clear 
knowledge  in  the  soul  of  the  learner. 

Questions   and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Put  in  language  of  3'our  own  the  purpose  or  end  of 
education  as  you  understand  it. 

What  is  the  relative  value  of  knowledge  and  skill? 
of  knowledge  and  power?  of  skill  and  power? 

Define  culture  and  skill. 

Just  why  is  culture  worth  more  than  knowledge? 

What  is  a  good  test  of  the  value  of  a  method? 

In  what  way  do  you  account  for  the  varying  capability 
of  the  pupil? 

Point  out  three  theories  of  soul  growth,  and  discuss 
the  result  of  accepting  each  of  them  in  turn. 

What  determines  the  capacity  of  the  pupil  to  know? 

How  does  knowledge  of  things  differ  in  quality  from 
knowledge  of  symbols? 

Explain  fully  the  vital  distinction  between  teacher 
A  and  teacher  B. 

How  much  concrete  material  did  Jesus  use  in  the 
story  of  the  Good  Samaritan?     Why? 

When  may  we  pass  from  teaching  in  things  to  teach- 
ing in  words? 

Describe  clearly  the  value  of  words  as  teaching  ma- 
terial. 

How  does  vague  knowledge  become  clear  knowledge 
in  the  soul? 

Write  five  educational  laws  based  upon  this  chapter. 


XV 

TRAIN  UP  A  CHILD 

'  I  ^HE  equipment  of  the  teacher  embraces 
■^  three  distinct  processes.  First,  the  teacher 
must  understand  the  activities  of  the  growing 
soul.  Second,  the  teacher  must  understand  the 
subject-matter  which  constitutes  the  nutrition 
upon  which  the  soul  grows.  This  is  the  general 
scholastic  equipment  of  the  teacher.  Third,  the 
teacher  must  understand  how  to  interpret  this 
subject-matter  from  time  to  time  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions  and  in  the  right  order  to  the 
growing  soul.  This  is  the  professional  or  peda- 
gogical equipment  of  the  teacher.  It  is  this  third 
aspect  of  the  problem  that  the  teacher  must  heed 
most  carefully.  Let  us  understand  how  impor- 
tant it  is  to  regard  the  teacher  as  the  interpreter 
of  objective  truth  to  the  growing  soul  of  a  child. 
The  soul  may  be  hungry,  and  the  subject-matter 

lying  beyond  it  may  be  excellent, 
Equi^Tment^      but  if  there  is  no  intermediate 

agency  to  bring  the  two  things 

together  there  can  be  no  growth,  no  development, 

no  education.     The  teacher  therefore  is  the  vital 

connecting  link  between  objective  truth  and  sub- 

174 


TRAIN    UP    A    CHILD  I75 

jective  development.  What  the  teacher  does 
becomes  significant.  How  the  teacher  does  it  is 
the  professional  problem. 

It  is  necessary  at  the  outset  to  understand  the 
importance  of  the  mastery  by  the  teacher  of  cer- 
tain fundamental  laws  of  the  teaching  process. 
These  laws  rest,  of  course,  upon  the  needs  of  the 
soul  as  these  needs  arise  in  its  unfolding.  To 
become  a  fine  teacher  one  must  give  attention  to 
the  best  laws  of  teaching.  The  purpose  of  these 
laws  is  to  accomplish  in  each  individual  pupil 
some  definite  educational  end.  These  principles 
become  the  guidance  to  that  end.  They  also 
form  a  means  of  measuring  the  progress  and 
determining  what  each  step  of  the  process  shall 
be.  The  first  question  then  is 
o,..^iJi^^  n^      to  determine  the  end.     What  do 

Principles  uo 

we  want  the  child  to  become  as 
a  result  of  our  teaching  activity?  Bear  in  mind 
that  this  question  must  be  answered  within  the 
limits  of  the  child's  possibilities.  We  might  want 
him  to  fly,  but  we  cannot  teach  him  to  do  that. 
We  must  remember  what  he  can  become,  and 
then  ascertain  how  to  achieve  that  result.  In 
general  it  may  be  said  that  the  purpose  of  edu- 
cation is  to  train  the  child  to  live  completely, 
which  means  that  he  must  be  equipped  with 
knowledge,  mental  power,  and  skill.  Not  one  of 
these,  nor  two  of  these,  but  all  of  these  must  be 


1/6  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

secured  in  order  that  the  pupil  may  live  com- 
pletely. 

Let  us  now  ask  ourselves  more  in  detail  what 
it  means  to  live  completely.  Solomon  admonishes 
us  to  train  up  a  child.  Up  to  what  shall  we  train 
him?  What  are  the  ends  or  goals  to  which  the 
child  is  to  be  led?  The  answer  to  that  must 
be  found  in  the  quality  of  our  civilization,  which 
civilization  is  more  Christian  than  it  is  anything 
else.  The  child  must  be  trained 
ItZuL  "P  to  a  right  understanding  of 
the  great  institutions  of  our 
Christian  civilization.  He  must  be  shown  what 
these  institutions  are,  what  they  stand  for,  and 
what  part  he  is  to  play  under  them  in  working 
out  the  destiny  of  the  human  race  under  God. 
For  he  will  best  work  out  his  own  destiny  when 
he  sees  himself  as  part  of  the  great  human 
family. 

These  institutions  of  our  civilization  are  the 
home,  the  state,  the  school,  the  social  life,  the 
industrial  life,  and  the  church.  To  live  completely 
one  must  live  in  complete  understanding  of  the 
significance  of  these  great  institutions,  and  in  har- 
mony with  their  highest  ideals.  It  will  be  well 
to  work  out  these  ideals  with  great  care.  Every 
prominent  question  before  our  present  civiliza- 
tion rests  upon  the  right  relation  of  the  individual 
to  these  great  institutions  of  our  Christian  civili- 


TRAIN    UP   A    CHILD  I77 

zation.    The  child  must  be  taught  his  relations  to 
the  home;  the  facts  of  fatherhood  and  mother- 
hood, of  childhood  and  brother- 
' c'vn"!l"l'„°'     hood.     Here  the  letters  of  Paul 

^1 V 1 1 12  d  Lion 

afford  splendid  guidance.  How 
strongly  he  urged  right  relations  in  the  home, 
and  how  much  of  all  that  he  counted  vital  in  the 
organization  of  the  church  depends  upon  what 
is  done  in  the  home,  and  how  life  is  lived  there ! 
Take  the  Temperance  question,  the  Mormon 
question,  the  Child  Labor  question,  and  other 
great  movements  that  stir  ovu"  thought  to-day, 
and  see  how  important  it  is  to  understand  that 
no  solution  of  these  problems  is  possible  except- 
ing in  so  far  as  we  have  a  clearly  defined  home 
life  which  is  menaced  by  the  conditions  that  give 
rise  to  these  questions.  We  fight  for  the  integrity 
and  the  purity  of  the  home  institution,  and  we 
array  ourselves   naturally   and   properly   against 

every  influence  that  strikes  at 
Questioi^*       ^^S^^^  home  conditions.     Let  the 

child  understand  that  here  is  one 
of  the  aspects  of  his  education  of  vital  concern 
to  the  home  and  to  the  race.  He  can  not  live 
completely  unless  he  lives  in  proper  relation  and 
subordination  to  the  law  of  the  home.  Note  also 
what  we  think  of  any  one  who  interferes  with 
the  home.  Point  out  the  significance  of  societies 
for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to  children,  of  laws 


178  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

for  the  punishment  of  wife-beaters,  and  all  those 
things  which  menace  the  integrity  of  our  ideal  of 
a  Christian  home. 

Consider  the  state  as  another  of  the  great  in- 
stitutions of  our  modern  civilization,  and  see  how 
conformity  to  its  laws,  devotion  to  its  ideals,  and 
service   in   its   welfare   are    regarded.      See   the 
significance  of  punishment  for  the  violation  of 
law,  of  public  censure  of  the  criminal,  of  appre- 
ciation of  the  hero  who  serves  his  state,  of  con- 
demnation for  him  who  refuses 
The  state        to  cherish  the  ideals  of  his  state, 
and  you  begin  to  see  the  signi- 
ficance of  the  institution  of  the  state  as  a  part 
of  the  equipment  of  the  child  to  live  completely. 
Notice  the  concern  of  the  public  when  the  wel- 
fare of  the  state  is  menaced.    Consider  how  trea- 
son is  regarded  as  shown  in  the  case  of  Arnold, 
and  in  the  case  of  Judas,  and  others  who  were 
false  to  their  leaders,  and  through  their  leaders 
to  great  institutions  like  the  state  and  the  church. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  school.     Every  influ- 
ence that  menaces  the  school  menaces  our  civili- 
zation. And  the  child  should  be  taught  to  respect' 
the  school,  to  take  advantage  of 
The  School        its  opportunities,  to  live  always 
in   sympathy    with    its    purpose, 
and,  in  general,  to  promote  educational  institu- 
tions as  a  part  of  his  training  for  complete  living. 


TRAIN    UP    A    CHILD  1 79 

Social  life  also  has  its  ideals,  and  it  is  a  part 
of  the  complete  training  of  each  individual  to 
understand  his  place  in  the  social  order,  and  to 
discharge  his  obligations,  and  to  live  his  life  in 
harmony  with  the  best  guidance  that  he  can  find, 
to  the  end  that  he  may  so  order  his  life  that  it 
may  harmonize  with  the  community  life  of  which 
he  is  a  part.  Point  out,  too,  at 
Social  Life  this  Stage  the  false  conceptions 
of  what  true  social  life  is,  and 
how  these  should  be  avoided.  The  difference 
between  artificial  and  sincere  living,  between 
playing  a  part  as  a  clown  or  a  zany,  and  the 
true,  sincere  appreciation  of,  and  participation  in, 
social  things,  should  be  clearly  comprehended. 
No  man  liveth  to  himself  alone.  He  is,  as  God 
taught  in  the  beginning,  his  brother's  keeper,  and 
complete  living  involves  right  social  relations. 

Point  out  also  the  importance  of  training  up 
the  child  to  an  understanding  of  the  industrial 
life  of  our  modem  civilization.     He  should  be 
taught  to  produce  more  than  he  consumes,  and 
thus  add  to  the   sum   of  our  material   welfare. 
Let  him  see  the  significance  of  strikes,  of  labor 
unions,    of  trusts,   of  corporate 
Industry         activities  as  they  afifect  the  indus- 
trial welfare  of  the  whole  peo- 
ple, and  help  him,  if  possible,  to  seek  the  true 
solution  of  these  vexatious  problems,  and  thus 


l80  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

come  to  a  proper  understanding  of  all  the  prob- 
lems that  underlie  a  stable  industrial  community. 

Finally,  teach  the  child  that  complete  living 
implies  living  in  harmony  with  the  ideals  of  the 
Christian  religion.  This  means  that  he  must 
identify  himself  with  some  church  organization, 
and  through  it  work  out  the  salvation  of  the 
human  race  before  God,  and  thus  in  the  most 
definite  way  work  out  his  own 
The  Church  salvation.  He  must  lose  his  life 
if  he  is  to  find  it.  He  must  serve 
now  if  he  is  to  be  served  hereafter,  which  is 
only  another  way  of  saying  that  he  must  save  now 
if  he  is  to  be  saved  hereafter, — for  service  is 
saving.  Whatever,  then,  the  church  opposes, 
the  individual  must  avoid.  Whatever  the  church 
cherishes  as  the  true  doctrine  of  righteous  liv- 
ing, he  must  cultivate.  Thus  the  individual, 
working  out  his  destiny  in  harmony  with  this 
great  institution  of  civilization,  comes  to  live 
completely.  This  is  the  end  which  the  teacher 
is  constantly  striving  to  achieve. 

Some  guidance  to  this  end  must  be  kept  in 
mind.  Study  the  significance  of  such  educational 
maxims  as  the  following:  Develop  in  each  pupil 
knowledge,  power,  and  skill.  Knowledge  is  the 
content  of  the  mind.  Power  is  the  strength  of 
■faculty  in  using  knowledge,  and  skill  is  facility 
in  the  use  of  knowledge.     In  education,  culture 


TRAIN    UP    A    CHILD  l8l 

is  worth  more  than  knowledge.  Prove  this 
proposition  to  yourself,  especially  as  it  relates  to 
religious  culture.  See  what  it  means  to  have 
depth  of  knowledge,  strength  of  spirit,  courage 
of  conviction,  integrity  of  purpose,  resoluteness 
of  will.  Work  out  a  justification  for  the  saying 
that  the  capability  of  the  pupil  to  grasp  truth 
varies  in  the  successive  stages  of  his  advance. 
See  what  can  be  done  with  the  child  in  the  begin- 
ning of  his  education,  at  the  middle  stage  of  his 

education,  at  the  end  of  his  edu- 
^hc'reTcVeT       cation,    explaining    to    yourself 

what  teaching  through  objects 
means,  likewise  teaching  through  symbols,  and 
teaching  through  elaboration,  and  see  whether 
at  last  you  can  come  to  the  formulation  of  the 
doctrine  that  both  in  the  material  of  instruction 
and  in  the  method  of  instruction  the  teacher 
must  always  adapt  himself  to  the  capacity  of  the 
pupil. 

This  will  explain  to  you  a  great  educational 
law :  From  things  through  symbols  to  relations : 
from  the  concrete  to  the  abstract ;  from  the 
simple  to  the  complex.  Turn  now  to  the  par- 
ables, and  see  with  what  consummate  skill  Jesus 
embodied  this  doctrine  as  the  basis  of  nuich  of 
his  teaching.  Note  with  what  simple  things  he 
begins  and  with  what  broad  generalizations  he 
ends.     See   how   every   apparently   unimportant 


l82  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

object  in  nature  becomes  the  hint  and  the 
approach  to  the  great  truths  of  the  kingdom. 
When  you  have  clearly  discussed  this  quality  in 
his  own  teaching,  ask  yourself  the  question.  Am 
I  following  his  method?     You  will  see  in  the 

answer  to  that  question  the  sig- 
The  Parables      nificancc  of  the  story,  with  its 

rich,  concrete  data,  appealing,  as 
it  always  does,  to  the  interest  of  the  child,  and 
predisposing  him  to  organize  clear  thought  and 
formulate  definite  conviction.  Note,  too,  the 
value  in  this  connection  of  indirect  teaching  as 
opposed  to  direct  teaching.  By  direct  teaching 
I  mean  telling  the  child;  by  indirect  teaching  I 
mean  leading  the  child  to  find  out  for  himself 
the  truth  under  the  guidance  of  the  teacher.  The 
finest  example  of  indirect  teaching  known  to  me 
is  recorded  in  Luke  lo  :  29-37.  Study  this  with 
the  utmost  concern.  It  is  so  fruitful  as  guidance 
that  one  will  inevitably  teach  better  after  master- 
ing its  message. 

When  the  child  is  able  to  think  in  symbols, 
he  has  made  a  great  advance.  Consider  how  long 
it  took  the  human  race  to  pass  through  the  stage 

of  development  in  which  picto- 
Things  First       rial  writing  alone  was  used.  The 

abstract  symbol  came  only  when 
the  mind  was  sufficiently  developed  to  think  in 
the  abstract.    The  child,  like  the  race,  must  think 


TRAIN    UP   A   CHILD  183 

in  things  until  he  is  able  to  think  in  symbols.  But 
the  child  of  to-day,  more  rapidly  than  the  race, 
rises  to  symbolic  thought.  This  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  more  mature  life  about  him  thinks 
in  symbols.  He  has  an  example.  The  early  race 
had  not. 

Thus  speedily  the  time  will  come  when  the 
symbol  may  be  used  as  the  instrument  of  thought. 
The  mind  no  longer  needs  tlie  immediate  stim- 
ulus of  sensations.  This  is  only  another  way 
of  saying  education  must  unsense  the  mind.  Of 
course,  all  new  experiences  must  come,  as  did 
the  first  ones,  in  the  concrete,  but  when  the 
mind  is  once  familiar  with  the  concrete,  and  has 
the  power  to  use  its  symbol,  there  is  no  longer 
need  for  tedious  reference  to  concrete  things. 
The  mind  becomes  free.  The  symbol  is  the  in- 
strument of  universal  thought.  See  to  it  that 
the  symbols  or  words  with  which  the  child  thinks 
are  clearly  understood.  No  word  should  be 
used  in  the  thought  processes  whose  meaning 
is  not  clearly  understood.  To  make  its  meaning 
understood  the  word  must  be 
Deftnmons  referred  to  the  thing  it  names, 
or  it  must  be  interpreted  into 
ideas  already  known  to  the  mind.  The  latter  is 
usually  the  step  to  be  taken.  It  is  the  method 
of  definition.  It  lies  at  the  basis  of  the  dictionary. 
The  thought  products  will  be  no  clearer  than 


184       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

are  the  meanings  of  the  symbols  with  which 
these  products  are  secured.  Do  not  take  the 
meanings  of  symbols  for  granted.  Test  each 
word.  See  that  its  meaning  is  clear  to  the  child. 
You  must  think,  not  of  your  ability  to  use  the 
word,  but  of  the  pupil's.  The  teaching  of  the 
exact  meaning  of  the  words  that  carry  our  reli- 
gious ideals  is  necessary  and  wise  teaching. 

The  most  fruitful  way  to  fasten  the  right 
meanings  of  symbols  in  the  consciousness  of  the 
learner  is  to  furnish  occasions  for  their  use  by 
the  pupil  in  giving  expression  to  his  own 
thoughts.  This  is  valuable  not  alone  as  a  means 
of  securing  clear  thinking,  but  also  as  a  means 
of  exercising  his  own  soul  powers.  Thus  to  the 
power  of  clear  thought  he  will  add  mental  dis- 
cipline, which  is  culture.  It  is 
Symbols  *'^^^    sclf-activity    that    is    to    be 

guarded  and  guided  always  by 
tlie  teacher.  As  the  {mpU  gradually  acquires  the 
power  to  think  for  himself  the  work  of  the 
teacher  gradually  lessens.  Thus  it  becomes  true 
that  the  function  of  a  true  teacher  is  to  render 
himself  useless  to  the  pu])il.  i'onder  the  full 
significance  of  this  saying.  The  end  is  self- 
guidance  and  self-control.  The  teacher  hinders 
the  attainment  of  this  end  when  he  continues 
those  processes  that  keep  the  ptipil  under  guid- 
ance and  control  which  the  pupil  is  able  to  fur- 


TRAIN    UP    A    CHILD  1 85 

nish  for  the  regulation  of  his  own  thonght-Hfe 
and  act-Hfe. 

The  process  of  instruction  may  be  so  conducted 
as  to  leave  the  mind  of  the  pupil  passive  and 
receptive,  or  it  may  be  so  conducted  as  to 
make  the  mind  of  the  pupil  active  and 
acquisitive.  The  latter  is  the  better  form  of 
teaching.  The  teacher  is  at  fault  when  the  think- 
ing is  all  done  for  the  pupil.  The  class  exercise 
is  not  an  activit}'  in  which  the  pupil  has  little, 
the  teacher  much,  to  do.  The  reverse  is  really 
the  condition  that  should  prevail.  Hence,  avoid 
as  far  as  may  be  the  habit  of  doing  for  the  pupils 
what  they  can  do  for  themselves.  To'  talk  much, 
to  recite  or  explain  at  knglh.  lo  monopolize  the 
time,  is  a  weakness  against  which  you  must  con- 
stantly struggle.  The  really  im- 
toTeach'  portaut  matter  is  to  force 
activity  upon  the  pui)il.  Thus  any 
form  of  teaching  that  compels  the  pupil  to  do 
original  thinking,  to  weigh  the  facts,  and  to  an- 
nounce a  conclusion,  is  of  value.  For  that  reason 
the  question  becomes  a  fruitful  agency  in  tlic 
teaching  process.  T  cannot  here  present  at  length 
the  importance  of  the  question  in  the  teaching 
process.  May  I  ask  you  to  do  a  piece  of  research 
work  on  your  own  account? 

Take  the  words  of  Jesus,  as  found  in  the 
Gospel  of  John  or  of  Matthew.     Make  a  list  of 


1 86  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

the  questions  he  propounded.  Classify  them 
upon  some  basis,  as  those  that  demanded  imme- 
diate reply  and  those  that  demanded  only  assent 
or  dissent  in  thought,  or  as  those  that  were 
addressed  to  his  disciples,  those  that  were  ad- 
dressed to  the  multitude,  those  that  were 
addressed  to  some  one  person,  and  those  that 
were  addressed  to  any  other  persons,  as  the 
Scribes,  etc.  Then  ask  yourself  what  each  ques- 
tion  was    intended    to   accomplish,    and    decide 

whether    it    did    accomplish    its 
Ques"«ons        purposc.    You  will  find  in  some 

such  study  much  that  will  help 
you  to  teach  well.  Notice  the  clear,  concise, 
comprehensive  character  of  Jesus'  questions. 
Formulate  a  dozen  questions  upon  the  next  lesson 
in  the  Sunday-school  series.  Test  your  ques- 
tions. Are  they  clear?  Are  they  concise?  Are 
they  comprehensive  ?  Do  they  lead  logically  from 
the  simple  aspects  of  the  lesson  to  the  more  com- 
plex aspects?  Do  the  questions  as  a  series  cover 
the  vital  points  in  the  lesson?  Does  each  ques- 
tion help  all  the  others  ?  You  will  not  master  the 
teaching  process  until  you  have  learned  how  to 
put  your  own  processes  to  the  test. 

To  build  a  teacher,  one  must  first  have  as  mate- 
rial the  fine  stuff  from  which  is  molded  a  Chris- 
tian man,  a  Christian  woman.  It  is  no  use  to 
veneer  poor  character  with  polished  pedagogy. 


TRAIN    UP    A    CHILD  1 8/ 

Back  of  the  way  we  do  things  is  the  doer  of  the 
things.    The  discerning  spirit  of  childhood  looks 

beneath  the  surface,  sees  under 
A  Prerequisite     the  acquired  knowledge,  power, 

and  skill,  and  demands  a  person- 
ality with  God's  stamp  upon  it, — the  stamp  of 
Christian  character.  The  life  that  carries  itself 
clean  and  pure  and  strong  always  predisposes 
other  life  to  become  like  it.  I  say  this  because 
T  wish  to  have  you  understand  most  clearly  that 
no  amount  of  professional  skill  can  compensate 
for  the  absence  of  the  virtues  that  God  wants 
in  every  soul,  and  that  God's  children  must  find 
there  or  be  grievously  disappointed.  We 
can  make  teachers  by  building  professionally 
upon  good  native  qualities  of  soul.  But  we 
cannot  veneer  a  corrupt  spirit  into  respec- 
tability and  efficiency.  Teacher,  be  sincere,  be 
honest,  be  true,  be  clean,  be  humble,  and  you  will 
then  be  able  to  add  all  the  qualities  that  give 
efficiency  to  your  work. 

There  is  much  to  learn  yet  concerning  the 
qualities  of  spirit  that  a  teacher  should  cultivate. 
Let  us  ask  what  we  need  as  equipments  to  teach. 
What  would  you  write  as  the  necessary  qualities  ? 
Suppose  you  make  this  your  problem.  It  will 
not  be  important  that  you  answer  the  question 
as  others  would.  But  it  is  important  that  you 
set  forth   in  order  the  qualities  that  you  think 


1 88  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

should  be  possessed  by  you  as  a  teacher.  Let  us 
begin  the  series.  What  shall  go  down  first? 
Shall  we  put  down  scholarship  first?  If  so,  why? 
If  not,  why  not  ?  Put  the  test  to  everything  you 
set  down.  Then,  when  the  list  is  at  last  com- 
pleted, ask  this  question:  Do  I  possess  these 
qualities?  Read  the  life  of  any 
How  to  study        ^g^^  teacher ;  make  a  list  of  the 

a  Teacher  &•  ' 

qualities  that  made  him  a  great 
teacher.  I  name  a  few.  Choose  any  one, — 
Comenius,  Pestalozzi,  Froebel,  Arnold,  Fenelon, 
Mann.  Then  turn  to  the  life  of  Jesus  and  see 
how  all  that  was  greatest  in  these  men  was  but 
an  echo  of  that  great  voice,  and  all  that  was 
found  in  them  of  good,  conjoined  with  weakness 
and  limitation,  was  in  him  combined  with 
strength  and  freedom.  You  will  not  at  first  ap- 
preciate the  commanding  worth  of  Jesus'  teach- 
ing. You  must  approach  him  gradually,  attribute 
by  attribute.  As  the  eye  of  one  in  the  valley  of 
Lauterbrunnen  climbs  from  valley  to  cascade, 
from  cascade  to  table-land,  from  table-land  to 
mountainside,  and  finally  to  the  Jungfrau,  lifting 
her  virgin  brow  clear  and  sparkling  to  the  regal 
sun,  so  the  human  spirit  climbs  from  man  to 
man,  from  excellence  to  excellence,  from 
achievement  to  achievement,  until  at  last  it  comes 
to  grasp  something  of  the  overmastering  glory 
and  grandeur   and   greatness    of   that   Teacher 


TRAIN    UP    A    CHILD  I89 

whose  heart  beats  lovingly  for  childhood,  and 
whose  spirit  is  suffused  with  the  transcendent 
glory  of  the  Eternal  Father.  Jesus  is  the  ideal 
for  all  teachers. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Which  is  more  important,  what  the  teacher  does  or 
how  the  teacher  does  it  ? 

What  is  the  basis  upon  which  the  laws  of  teaching 
ultimately  rise? 

Under  what  limitations  must  the  teacher  work? 

Write  a  list  of  additional  limitations  under  which 
you  do,  but  should  not,  teach. 

In  what  way  does  the  phrase,  '"Train  up  a  child," 
stand  related  to  the  broad  ends  in  education? 

Why  does  Solomon  indicate  that  training  is  of  perma- 
nent value? 

What  are  the  great  institutions  of  our  civilization? 
What  makes  them  great  institutions? 

Write  a  list  of  current  questions  growing  out  of  the 
proper  relation  of  the  individual  to  the  hotne,  to  the 
state,  to  the  school,  to  social  life,  to  industry,  and  to 
the  church. 

Are  the  questions  of  one  of  these  institutions  always 
independent  of  the  questions  of  the  other?  For  example, 
is  the  temperance  question  solely  a  home  problem? 

Notice  how  almost  every  great  question  is  six-sided 
and  must  be  studied  in  its  relation  to  each  of  these  great 
institutions.  Thus  you  have  an  outline  for  the  study  of 
a  great  question. 


ipO       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

What  would  you  consider  conclusive  evidence  of  the 
growth  of  culture  in  the  soul  of  a  child?  Apply  the  law, 
"From  sense  to  symbol,"  to  each  of  the  parables. 

Does  the  child  follow  the  order  of  race  develop- 
ment in  his  intellectual  unfolding?  What  follows  from 
an  affirmative  answer  to  this  question? 

How  do  I  know  when  a  child  uses  a  symbol  properly? 

As  the  pupil  advances  should  the  work  of  the  teacher 
lessen  or  increase?    Why? 

What  would  you  consider  as  the  necessary  pre- 
requisite to  the  making  of  a  teacher? 

How  would  you  proceed  to  study  a  teacher,  and  what 
significance  would  you  attach  to  the  different  qualities 
which  you  consider  necessary? 


XVI 

SOUL-ACTIVITY    THROUGH     WORDS     AND 
QUESTIONS 

"IIS^ORDS   stand   for  ideas.     Ideas  stand   for 
thing-s.     These  things  may  be  objects  in 
nature  or  they  may  be  relations  discerned  in  the 
soul.     We  need  not  raise  the  question  whether 
or  not  we  can  think  without  symbols.     The  im- 
portant fact  to  keep  in  mind  is  that  we  think 
with  these  words.     Hence  it  is  of  great  signifi- 
cance that  we  know  what  content  the  word  car- 
ries, what  it  means  to  the  child.     We  all  know 
the  ludicrous  blunders  made  by 
Thought  children   when   they   use  words 

whose  meanings  are  not  clear. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  specify.  Since  words  are 
the  tools  of  thought,  it  is  of  first  moment  that 
the  exact  use  of  each  tool  be  understood  by  the 
user. 

When  I  was  a  youth,  I  became  in  some  way 
confused  over  cemetery  and  seminary.  I  was  not 
quite  sure  which  word  named  the  institution  to 
which  young-  ladies  were  sent  to  be  educated.  It 
is  my  opinion  that  somewhere  I  had  poor  teach- 
ing on  this  point.    As  a  result,  I  have  been  forced 

191 


192  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

to  eliminate  both  words  from  my  vocabulary. 
I  use  instead  grave-yard  and  boarding-school. 
How  long  I  used  these  words  interchangeably 
before  I  became  aware  of  my  blunder  I  do  not 
know.  There  is  only  one  way  to  be  certain  that 
the  word  signifies  what  it  should, 

The  Real  Test  — that  is  by  furnishing  occasions 
for  its  use  by  the  pupil  in  giving 
expression  to  his  own  thoughts.  Do  not  over- 
look the  fact  that  the  word  is  to  be  used  in  ex- 
pressing his  own  thoughts.  Many  words  are 
used  by  pupils  in  quotations  from  the  Bible,  and 
from  the  sayings  of  the  teacher,  that  are  entirely 
void  of  meaning  to  the  pupil.  Children  are  rather 
fond  of  picking  up  words  and  using  them  in 
fantastic  ways.  They  are  not  yet  aware  of  the 
vital  worth  of  exact  meaning.  The  teacher  must 
understand  the  need,  and  seek  to  give  the  word 
its  right  content. 

We  have  heretofore  considered  how  difficult 
it  is  to  secure  right  conditions  for  study,  right 
attitude  of  soul  in  the  teaching  process.  For  this 
added  reason  we  should  be  careful  that  the  word 
as  a  tool  of  thought  is  clearly  comprehended.  I 
have  placed  emphasis  upon  this  phase  of  teaching 
in  order  to  make  meaningful  an  educational  law : 
The  powers  of  the  soul  are  developed  and  trained 
only  by  occasioning  their  right  activity.  It  is  the 
act  of  the  soul  upon  the  fact  of  knowledge  that 


STIMULATING    SOUL-ACTIVITV  I93 

is  most  significant.     Ponder  this  well.     We  see 

again  how  impossible  it  is  to  be  content  to  tell 

facts  to  pupils,  no    matter    how 

Talking  Not  _,•  .1      ■  •      1  1 

x^o^iT-  „  receptive    their    minds    mav    be. 

leacning  '■ 

We  talk  too  much  to  our  pupils. 
We  do  not  encourage  them  to  talk.  It  is  what 
they  say  to  you,  what  they  think  before  they  say 
it,  and  what  they  think  it  with^  that  is  most  im- 
portant. 

The  teacher  will  at  every  point  aim  to  occasion 
a  maximum  of  mental  activity  by  the  pupil.  He 
will  so  put  his  points,  so  arrange  his  statements, 
that  the  pupil  will  from  pure  interest  exercise  the 
powers  of  the  soul  to  the  limit.     This  means  that 

the  teacher  will  exclude  all  irrel- 
T    ^tiJl         evant    matter    and     include    all 

reaching 

pertinent  matter.  It  also  means 
that  the  teacher  will  so  master  the  theme,  so 
organize  the  subject-matter  of  the  lesson,  so  for- 
mulate his  method,  that  the  pupil's  attention  will 
inevitably  be  secured.  Cut  out  all  discussion  that 
is  irrelevant.  I  have  known  teachers  whose  inade- 
quate preparation  unfitted  them  to  teach  the 
lesson.  As  a  makeshift  they  digressed  into  sub- 
jects that  were  wholly  without  relation  to  the 
purpose  of  the  recitation,  and  subjects  that  were 
in  themselves  practically  useless.  The  fault  here 
is  obvious.  The  teacher  did  not  comprehend  the 
significance  of  a  great  opportunity.     Better  not 


194  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

teach  than  to  teach  error.  Better  not  teach  than 
to  teach  fragmentarily.  Better  not  teach  than  to 
teach  flippantly.  Best  of  all,  teach  well.  You 
can,  if  you  will.  It  may  cost  effort,  but  anything 
we  do  that  is  worth  doing  is  done  at  the  price 
of  effort.  To  illuminate  a  soul  is  worth  the 
effort.  To  enthrone  God,  sacred  and  secure,  in 
a  child's  spirit  is  not  a  task,  but  a  privilege.  All 
teaching  is  opportunity. 

In  presenting  the  lesson  the  teacher  will  bear 
in  mind  that  the  wise  use  of  questions  is  a  potent 
process  in  securing  soul  activity.  Do  you  under- 
stand the  fine  art  of  questioning?  When  the 
teacher  presents   all  the   data   of  the   lesson  in 

narrative   form,  that   is,   in   the 
Jue'stt'iing        form  of  a  story,  the  mind  of  the 

pupil  is  frequently  in  a  passive 
or  receptive  condition.  The  pupil  feels  much  like 
a  passenger  on  a  train, — the  thing  to  do  is  to 
settle  down  comfortably,  trust  to  the  officials  to 
attend  to  every  detail  of  the  journey,  and  wait 
patiently  and  submissively  until  the  conductor 
calls  out  the  destination.  The  passenger  has  been 
carried  along  without  effort  on  his  part.  So  it 
may  be  in  your  class.  The  pupils  resign  them- 
selves to  your  tender  care,  trust  your  ability  to 
see  them  safely  through  the  lesson,  and  them- 
selves take  no  active  part  in  the  process.  But  is 
this  teaching  ? 


STIMULATING   SOUL-ACTIVITV  1 95 

What,  then,  is  the  value  of  the  question  as  a 
teaching  agency  ?  The  question  has  always  been 
regarded  as  a  most  important  means  of  stimu- 
lating thought,  and  of  creating  knowledge  in  the 
soul.  Direct  teaching  is  too  frequently  telling, 
and  telling  is  always  poor  teaching.  Indirect 
teaching  is  usually  good  teaching.  It  aims  to 
stimulate  inquiry  in  the  soul  of  the  learner.  It 
leads  him  to  discover  truth  for  himself.  He  has, 
as  a  result,  the  joy  of  discovery,  the  added  power 
of  increased  thought-ability  due  to  the  exercise 
of  his  powers,  and  the  fuller  inter-relation  of  his 
facts  of  knowledge  one  with  another. 

The    soul    is    so    constituted    that    its    own 

products,  the  products  of  its  own  activity,  yield 

for    it   the   longest   measure    of 

s^urJ^o'Ly  joy.  The  student  in  botany  who 
finds  in  some  sequestered  nook 
a  rare  and  early  blossom  is  overjoyed.  He  has 
made  a  discovery  so  delightfully  surprising  that 
for  the  time  he  thinks  and  talks  only  of  the  thing 
that  has  so  enraptured  him.  I  recall  a  pupil  of 
mine,  dull  and  listless  in  his  work  for  a  year, 
who  was  finally  persuaded  to  study  botany.  He 
did  his  text-book  work  indifferently,  but  early  in 
June,  upon  a  rainy  afternoon,  he  accompanied 
his  classmates  to  a  secret  haunt  of  the  orchid 
family.  Here  the  boy  unexpectedly  discovered 
a  rare  white  orchid,  and,  throwing  himself  upon 


196       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

the  wet  ground  beside  the  beautiful  flower,  wept 
for  joy.  In  his  moment  of  supreme  exaltation 
he  called  alternately  upon  his  teacher  and  his 
God.  He  found  the  thing  he  loved.  It  opened 
his  soul  to  these  exquisite  thoughts  of  God  and 
he  became  a  botanist  of  note.  So  always  is  the 
feeling  in  the  pupil  when  in  answer  to  a  wise 
questioner  he  finds  new  truth  full-born  in  his 
soul. 

When  the  narrative  of  facts  is,  at  a  prudently- 
considered  interval,  broken  to  ask  a  question,  the 
whole  mental  complex  is  changed.  The  passive 
and  receptive  quality  of  soul  is  changed  to  an 
active  and  expressive  quality.  The  tension  of 
actual  thought  is  felt.  The  powers  of  the  soul 
are  in  action.  They  are  thus  quickened  to  act 
by  the  use  of  the  question.  Do  you  see  how  this 
really  occurs  now  in  your  own  thought  processes  ? 
This  power  of  the  question  to 

The  Law  Stated      COmpcl      activC      StatCS      of      SOul 

results  in  the  strengthening  of 
the  powers  thus  exercised.  They  obey  the  well- 
known  law,  development  by  exercise. 

The  most  significant  gain  to  the  learner,  under 
wise  questioning,  is  due  to  the  fact  that  when 
a  question  is  unanswered  in  the  soul,  it  stands 
as  a  menace  and  as  a  challenge  to  all  knowledge 
in  the  soul.  Instantly  all  that  we  know  is  mar- 
shaled in  review  before  the  new  and  unrecognized 


STIMULATING    SOUL-ACTIVITV  I  97 

thing  in   consciousness.     This   calling  upon   all 
that  wo  know  to  identify  what  is  new  is  of  far- 
reaching  value.  It  gives  us  many- 
Theunanswered     ^jj^       relational       knowledge. 

Question  ° 

Each  relation  set  up  is  an 
enrichment  of  the  soul.  Each  relation  discovered 
is  a  new  fact  of  knowledge  in  the  soul.  Each 
answer  formulated  and  pronounced  is  a  strength- 
ening and  significant  influence  in  giving  quality 
and  character  to  the  whole  mental  complex. 

There  arc  three  types  of  questions  that  may 
be  regarded  as  of  sufificient  value  to  be  considered 
in  this  discussion, — the  direct  question,  the 
Socratic  question,  and  the  Master's  question. 

The    direct    question    asks    for    specific    data 
possessed  by  the  pupil  as  a  result  of  his  study. 
It  is  a  common   and   useful   form   of  teaching. 
"  What  is  the  lesson  for  the  day  ?  "     "  What  is 
the  Golden   Text?"     "What   persons   are  pre- 
sented in  this  lesson?"     These 
^Ouest'km*        ^^^  types  of  the  direct  question. 
In   its   use  the  teacher  assumes 
that  the  pupil  has  had  time  and  data  for  study. 
The  question  is  a  means  of  testing  the  fidelity 
of  the  pupil    to    his    assigned    task.      Then    the 
direct  question  is  necessarily  limited  as  a  teach- 
ing agency  to  that  aspect  of  the  instructional  pro- 
cess usually  regarded  as  the  test,  the  review,  or 
the  examination.     It  is  of  use  also  in  revealing 


198       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

to  the  teacher  the  inadequacy  or  inequahty  of  the 
learner's  preparation.  Thus  the  teacher  has  a 
means  of  proving  his  pupils,  and  of  teaching 
most  carefully  and  fully  these  things  which  the 
pupil  failed  properly  to  grasp.  The  result  should 
be  an  adequate  and  equal  arrangement  of  the 
facts  of  knowledge  in  the  student's  soul.  His 
education  may  then  be  said  to  develop  harmo- 
niously all  the  powers  of  the  soul. 

Socrates  was  the  wisest  teacher  of  ancient 
Greece.  His  method  was  unequaled  among  all 
his  countrymen.  His  pupils  were  as  loyal,  as 
devoted,  as  enthusiastic,  as  one  could  wish  for. 
He  was  brave  enough  to  die  for  his  beliefs,  and 
he  was  skilful  enough  to  impress  his  beliefs 
indelibly  upon  his  pupils.  How  did  he  teach? 
Under  direct  questioning  the  teacher  assumes 
that  by  study  the  pupil  acquires  the  answer  to 

the  question.     Socrates  assumed 
QuestioV*^      that  all  truth  is  inherent  in  each 

soul.  But  the  individual  is  not 
aware  of  the  content  of  his  soul.  The  vital  func- 
tion of  education  is  to  make  each  soul  aware 
of  its  own  content.  How  is  that  to  be  done?  By 
such  a  judicious  use  of  questions  as  to  lead  each 
unknown  element  of  knowledge  in  the  soul  to 
reveal  its  identity  and  its  relation  to  all  other 
elements  of  knowledge  in  the  soul.  Thus  with- 
out education  we  know  not  what  is  innately  in 


STIMULATING    SOUL-ACTIVITY  1 99 

the  soul.  Education  is  the  process  of  self-com- 
prehension. "  Know  thyself "  was  his  motto. 
He  uses  the  question  as  a  potent  means  of  attain- 
ing the  end  indicated.  But  his  presupposition  is 
wrong.  We  no  longer  think  or  believe  that  all 
knowledge  is  innately  set  in  each  soul  by  some 
power  not  ourselves.  We  believe  that  knowledge 
arises  in  the  soul  by  reason  of  the  presentation  of 
objects  from  without,  through  sensation  to  con- 
sciousness. The  soul  God  gives.  Its  capacities 
he  sets.    Its  content  we  build. 

Jesus  used  the  direct  question,  as  we  all  do 
when  we  desire  to  test  the  fidelity  of  preparation 
in  our  pupils.  But  he  used  a  type  of  question 
unique  in  teaching.  He  assumes  that  primary 
knowledge  in  the  soul  arises  from  presenting 
things  to  the  senses.  That  these  varied  sense- 
presentations  are  often  vague  and  apparently  con- 
tradicting, and  hence  confusing,  he  also  assumed. 
He  uses  the  question  to  break  up 

^use^byTesus'  ^^^"6'  coufusing,  and  Uncertain 
knowledge,  and  to  set  in  its  place 
clear,  distinct,  and  certain  knowledge. 

In  the  north  country,  beyond  the  Sea  of  Gali- 
lee, Jesus  sat  with  a  chosen  group  of  his  dis- 
ciples. He  asked  them  a  question :  "  Whom  do 
men  say  that  I  am  ?  "  The  disciples  gave  in  reply 
the  conjectures  of  the  people.  Some  said  Moses, 
some  Elias,  some  Jeremias,  and  some  one  of  the 


200  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

prophets.  Then  into  this  group  of  guesses  he  sets 
a  second  question :  "  But  whom  say  ye  that  I 
am  ? "  This  question  dispelled  all  doubt.  It 
crystallized  conviction.  It  established  clear 
knowledge.  Thus  the  wise  teacher  understood 
how  important  it  is  to  call  up  in  the  mind  of  the 
learner  every  possible  explanation,  and  then, 
when  the  mind  is  balancing  the  issues,  to  put  for- 
ward a  question  whose  answer  lifts  the  learner 
to  a  declaration  of  an  opinion  and  the  formula- 
tion of  a  conviction  never  again  to  be  subject  to 
revision.  To  drive  a  soul  to  the  final  and  con- 
clusive statement  of  truth  is  always  of  moment 
in  the  teaching  process. 

To  question  wisely  is  to  catch  glimpses  of  the 
inner  life,  ^he  secret  thoughts,  the  vital  forces  of 
a  soul.  It  must  be  done  in  a  spirit  of  loving  con- 
cern for  the  pupil.  The  more  intimately  the  life 
of  the  pupil  is  known^  the  more  sacred  becomes 
the  office  of  teacher.  Kinship  of  spirit  is  the  best 
warrant  to  teach. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  reasons  do  you  have  for  teaching  carefully  the 
meaning  of  words? 

Should  religious  truth  be  set  in  more  vague  terms 
than  other  truth? 


STIMULATIN'G    SOUL-ACTIVITY  201 

May  religious  truth  be  taught  as  clearly  as  secular 
truth  ? 

Why  is  the  unanswered  question  a  source  of  concern? 

If  the  delay  in  finding  answer  to  a  question  is  pro- 
longed, how  does  this  delay  affect  the  learner? 

Explain  clearly  the  value  of  the  right  activity  of  the 
mental  process. 

What  are  you  doing  to  aid  your  pupil  to  clear  views? 

Some  questions  are  pertinent,  some  are  impertinent. 
Explain  and  illustrate. 

Enumerate  the  values  of  the  question  as  a  form  of 
teaching. 

What  types  of  questions  are  wise?     Why? 

Study  your  own  motive  in  questioning  your  pupil. 

What  is  the  relative  value  of  the  question  for  the 
class  and  the  question  for  the  individual? 

Explain  the  Socratic  question. 

Discuss  the  effect  upon  the  pupils  of  unwise  ques- 
tions. 

Frame  ten  wholly  wise  questions  upon  the  subject- 
matter  of  this  chapter. 


XVTI 

THE    TEACHER'S    PERSONAL    EQUIPMENT 

V17E  HAVE  to  this  point  been  considering 
the  opening  of  a  soul  into  full  bloom.  We 
have  seen  it  bud  and  grow  and  blossom.  What 
shall  the  fruitage  be?  That  will  depend  upon 
the  nutrition  and  upon  the  pruning.  The  nutri- 
tion is  the  Word  of  God.  The  pruning  is  the 
act  of  the  teacher. 

This  act  is  of  so  great  importance  that  I  have 
thought   it   wise   at   this   point   to   consider   the 

teacher    in    his    relation    to    the 
Prun^nir*         P^^P'^^   especially   in   his   relation 

to  the  product  of  the  teaching 
process  as  it  is  bodied  forth  in  conduct.  No 
religious  instruction  is  worth  the  name  that  does 
not  condition  conduct.  It  is  one  thing  to  know 
the  right.  It  is  another  thing  to  do  the  right.  It 
is  not  enough  that  our  pupils  should  know  the 
right.  They  must  do  it.  We  live  in  deeds.  The 
Sunday-school  is  to  be  judged  by  the  life  of  its 
pupil.  The  teacher  is  to  be  justified  by  the 
manner  of  the  pupil's  living  acquired  under  his 
guidance.  If  you  entertain  any  other  view  of 
your  function,  throw  it  away. 

202 


THE  TEACHERS    PERSONAL   EQUIPMENT     203 

We  are  met  at  the  outset  with  the  cry  that 
teachers  are  born,  not  made ;  that  some  can  teach 
and  some  cannot ;  and  that  any  attempt  to  train 
teachers  is  essentially  impossible.  Let  us  be  sure 
we  are  justified  before  we  take 
"^'Born*?*"  ^^^^^  ^  position.  I  Iiave  seen 
thousands  of  teachers  at  work. 
I  have  known  them  as  pupils  and  as  individuals. 
I  am  frank  to  admit  that  some  people  are  so 
finely  organized  that  they  instinctively  teach  well. 
This  number  is  not  large.  I  know  that  most  of 
the  successful  teachers  of  to-day  are  made,  not 
born.  Here,  as  in  almost  every  sphere  of  activity 
that  calls  for  skilled  efforts,  honest  and  sustained 
effort  is  sure  to  accomplish  a  worthy  result. 
Lawyers,  doctors,  and  clergymen  are  made  over 
under  professional  discipline  and  study.  Why, 
then,  may  we  not  assert  the  same  of  the  teacher? 
We  have  many  excellent  teachers  in  our  public 
schools  because  they  have  been  trained  to  teach 
in  some  of  our  many  excellent  training  schools. 
We  shall  accomplish  equally  important  advances 
in  our  Sunday-school  teaching  when  we  accept 
this  truth  and  act  upon  it. 

Why  do  we  hesitate  to  enter  heart  and  soul 
upon  a  campaign  of  teacher-training?  Is  it 
because  we  are  indifferent  to  the  cause?  Is  it 
because  we  are  unwilling  to  put  forth  an  honest 
effort  to  achieve  skill  ?    Is  it  simply  because  we 


204  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

do  not  ?  How  I  wish  I  had  the  power  to  stir  the 
indifferent,  the  lazy,  the  negHgent  ones !  I  have 
in  mind  a  large  group  of  teachers  who  are 
anxious  to  do  the  best  things,  who  are  busy  with 
a  thousand  cares,  who  turn  to  every  possible 
guidance  that  offers  promise  of  help,  and  who 
carry  upon  their  consciences  their  responsibilities. 
For  these  my  heart  warms.  For  these  I  am  will- 
ing  to   try,   in   the   best  way   I 

group  will  teach  far  better  to- 
morrow than  they  do  to-day.  These  are  the  hope 
of  our  children,  our  Sunday-school,  our  church. 
For  these  I  have  a  few  suggestions. 

You  may  feel  that  temperamentally  you  are 
not  suited  to  teach.  You  may  be  hasty,  and  at 
times  cross.  You  may  be  unsympathetic  and 
cold.  You  may  be  impulsive  and  rash.  You  may 
be  unnatural  and  foolish.  You  may  be  these  and 
other  things  equally  objectionable  in  the  teacher. 
You  may  feel  your  limitations  in  scholarship,  in 
methods,  and  in  skill  in  teaching.  What  of  it? 
These  are  limitations  that  you  should  remove, 
regardless  of  your  position  of  teacher.  If,  then, 
teaching  will  aid  you  all  the  more  surely  to  re- 
move them,  why  not  teach? 

We  all  have  our  limitations.  It  is  our  business 
to  remove  them.  To  train  as  a  teacher  is  a  most 
direct  manner  of  securing  mastery  over  our  own 


THK  tkaciikr's    FKKSONAL    KQUIPMENT    205 

selves.  Do  you  find  it  difficult  to  control  your 
class?  Concentrate  your  effort  to  win  this  bat- 
tle. Control  IS  essential  to 
Limitations  teaching.  Why  should  any  boy 
or  girl  act  m  Sunda)-school  in  a 
manner  which  he  or  she  knows  would  not  be  tol- 
erated in  a  public  school?  Why?  Tsn't  it  as 
much  a  part  of  one's  religious  training  to  be 
orderly  as  it  is  part  of  one's  secular  training? 
Are  you  afraid  you  will  lose  a  pupil  if  you 
demand  order  ?  You  need  not  be.  Settle  it  now 
and  for  all  time  that  you  will  have  order  in  your 
class.  Teach  nothing  until  you  have  it.  Stop 
teaching  the  moment  you  lose  it.  Do  not  go  on 
with  the  lesson  until  you  are  master  of  the  con- 
duct of  your  class.  This  is  your  first  test.  Control 
is  worth  securing.  Respect  for  you  is  essen- 
tial to  your  ability  to  teach.  How  can  you 
achieve  this  condition  of  respect  when  the  pupils 
know  that  they,  not  you,  set  the  standard  of  con- 
duct in  your  class?  A  boy  will  respect  you  all 
the  more  if  you  have  the  courage  to  assert  your- 
self in  behalf  of  what  is  right  and  reasonable. 
Do  not  hesitate  one  moment  to  exact  respectful 
attention.  The  only  thing  you  need  to  consider 
is  the  manner  of  securing  it.  Be  firmly  kind,  but 
also  be  kindly  firm. 

Be  patient.    Time  wins  many  victories.    What 
cannot  be  done  with  a  rush  may  be  done  in  due 


206  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

time.    It  is  always  unwise  to  create  excitement  in 
the  class.     I   am  not  averse  to  bright,   snappy 

teaching,    the   kind   that   carries 
Essentui         itself  with  a  sweep  and  strength ; 

but  I  do  caution  against  fussy 
ways  that  really  defeat  the  ends  sought.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  is  manifestly  impossible  to  hold 
the  attention  of  the  class  when  the  lesson  drags 
its  weary  length  along.  But  when  a  pupil  is 
putting  forth  his  best  effort,  no  matter  how  poor 
that  effort  may  be,  the  teacher  should  patiently 
and  kindly  aid  the  pupil  to  his  best  statement  of 
the  facts  he  is  to  recite.  To  scold,  to  scowl,  to 
frown,  to  become  angry,  to  be  sarcastic,  is  to  lose 
all  the  golden  opportunity  that  is  the  teacher's. 
Put  yourself  as  fully  and  as  frequently  as  you  can 
in  the  place  of  the  pupils.  Remember  the 
meager  and  barren  life  some  of  them  live.  Let 
infinite  love,  infinite  patience,  infinite  tact, 
characterize  your  work  as  a  teacher.  Above 
all,  do  not  grow  discouraged  when  you 
do  not  at  once  secure  the  results  you  long  for. 
You  may  be,  you  are  if  you  teach  well,  accom- 
plishing more  than  you  know.  Think  what  you 
want  your  pupils  to  be  ten,  twenty  years  hence, 
and  labor  to  set  up  now  the  ideals  to  which, 
through  the  years,  their  souls  shall  grow. 

Jesus    was    always    patient    with    the    honest 
learner.    Cannot  you  afford  to  be  the  same  ?    In 


THE   TEACHERS    PERSONAL    EQUIPMENT     20/ 

John  7  we  have  Jesus  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 
It  was  a  season  of  sacred  rejoicing  in  Jerusalem. 
It  was  also  a  time  of  great  excitement.  Every- 
body was  crowding  to  the  festal  services.  No 
one  was  in  a  frame  of  mind  to  learn.  Jesus 
wisely  waited  the  right  moment  before  he  essayed 
to  present  his  message.  The  last,  the  great  day  of 
j^^  the  Feast  had  come.     When  the 

Psychological  day  was  yet  young,  when  the  air 
Moment  ^^^  cool,when  all  the  people  were 
astir,  was  not  this  the  time  to  teach?  No.  See 
the  crowd  converge  upon  the  temple,  each  bear- 
ing a  Paradise  apple  in  the  left  hand,  branches 
of  trees  in  the  right  hand.  Hear  the  sacred 
music.  See  the  procession  of  musicians,  headed 
by  a  priest  bearing  a  golden  pitcher.  They  move 
to  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  the  golden  pitcher  is  filled, 
the  choral  march  turns  again  to  the  temple. 
Hear  the  cheers  of  the  multitude  and  the  sound 
of  cymbals  and  of  trumpets.  Surely  now  is  the 
time  to  speak.  Ah,  no.  Be  patient.  Seven 
times  the  procession  weaves  its  ecstatic  way 
around  the  great  altar  of  burnt-offering,  upon 
which  rests  the  sacrifice.  Hear  the  priest  chant 
the  solemn  words,  "  O  then,  now  work  salvation, 
Jehovah !  O  Jehovah,  give  prosperity."  See 
him  pour  upon  the  altar  the  water  from  the 
golden  pitcher.  Hear  the  mighty  chorus,  the 
great   "Hallel"   (Psalms  113-118),    rising    with 


208       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

the  voice  of  the  flute.     See  the  multitude  shake 
the  branches  toward  the  altar,  while  the  priests 

draw    the    threefold    blast    from 
Tabfr'naciel       ^^^^^^  trumpets.     The  echoes  fill 

the  valleys  round  about.  They 
reverberate  from  the  hillsides  beyond,  and  then 
a  sacred  hush  settles  over  the  vast  multitude  of 
worshipers.  The  service  ceases.  A  great  silence 
like  a  beauteous  benediction  nestles  over  the 
sacred  scene.  And  now,  clear  over  the  awed 
multitude,  like  the  voice  of  an  angel,  rang  the 
words,  "  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto 
me  and  drink."  Who  has  spoken?  Who  has 
seized  the  supremest  moment  to  say  the  suprem- 
est  thing?  Let  the  officers  answer.  "  Never  man 
so  spake."  Let  us  comprehend  the  patience  that 
knew  the  divine  moment  to  speak.  Let  us  seize, 
as  did  he,  the  right  moment  to  teach  human  souls. 
Let  us  teach  in  the  manner  that  he  so  splendidly 
set!  Here  we  have  exemplified  control  and 
patience  worthy  of  the  Son  of  God. 

Do  you  love  to  teach  ?  Do  you  love  children  ? 
You  answer,  in  a  perfunctory  way,  "  Certainly  I 
do."    But  do  you  love  them  as  Jesus  loved  them  ? 

Do  you  love  them  well  enough 
Love  Essential      to  sufifer  for  them?     If  so,  you 

can  teach.  Love  your  pupils  for 
what  you  want  them  to  become.  Love  them  on 
the  ideal  side.  I  know  how  difficult  it  is  to  accept 


THE    teacher's    PERSONAL    EQUIPMENT     209 

this  guidance.  But  I  also  know  how  great  is  the 
value  of  this  discipline  to  the  teacher.  At  the 
very  last,  Jesus  gave  the  most  searching  exam- 
ination to  Peter  before  he  was  commissioned  to 
feed  the  lambs  and  the  sheep  in  Jesus'  fold. 
W^'hat  was  the  nature  of  that  examination  ?  What 
momentous  questions  were  propounded?  What 
range  of  subjects  was  covered?  Oh,  teacher, 
read  John  21,  and  learn!  Jesus  asks  of  you  one 
great,  overmastering,  all-embracing  question, 
"  Do  you  love  me  more  than  you  love  all  else  ?  " 
If  so,  you  are  divinely  anointed  to  teach.  The 
best  feeder  is  the  greatest  lover.  The  measure 
of  one's  ability  to  feed  his  flock  is  the  measure 
of  one's  love  for  the  Shepherd.  No  love,  no 
teaching.  No  matter  what  equipment  you  may 
possess,  what  wealth  of  material,  what  compre- 
hension of  educational  processes,  you  cannot 
touch  the  life  of  a  child  until  you  have  interfused 
all  that  you  have  and  all  that  you  are  with  an 
almighty  love  in  your  soul  for  Him,  and  for  his 
Httle  ones. 

This  does  not  in  any  way  depreciate  the  value 
of  one's  scholarship.  There  is  virtue  for  the 
teacher  in  knowing  clearly  and  adequately  the 
subject  he  is  to  teach.  But  love  puts  fire,  spirit, 
life,  power,  into  one's  knowledge.  I  wish  to  com- 
mend a  wise  and  comprehensive  grasp  of  knowl- 
ledge.    Next  to  knowing  the  normal  processes  of 


2IO  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

a  soul's   development,    I    count    scholarship   the 
best   intellectual    equipment    of    the    teacher.      I 

do    not    mean    that    masses  of 
What  Love  Does    memory-products  constitute    the 

best  stock  of  knowledge;  but 
rather  the  inter-relation  of  these  products  one 
with  another.  Knowledge  for  the  teacher  should 
be  organic.  Each  part  should  fit  into  each  other, 
as  do  the  units  of  a  mosaic.  This  is  the  result 
of  reflection,  not  of  acquisition.  We  need,  more 
than  any  other  one  quality  of  mind,  the  habitual 
tendency  to  ponder  the  significance  of  our  sepa- 
rate elements  of  knowledge.  When  we  secure 
the  attention  of  our  class,  we  should  be  able  to 
lead  the  pupils,  step  by  step,  into  wide  vistas  of 
related  knowledge.  We  can  do  this  only  as  we 
ourselves  understand  these  broad  groups  of  rela- 
tions. What  confidence  comes  to  the  teacher 
who  is  conscious  that  his  grasp  of  the  lesson  is 
sufficient  to  enable  him  to  answer  questions,  to 
add  specific  guidance,  to  be  at  home  in  thought 
before  his  class ! 

The  universal  experience  of  teachers  is  that 
no  number  of  devices  and  lesson-plans  will  avail 
if  there  is  not  back  of  all  this  a  sane  and  sensible 
and  broad  grasp  of  the  whole  field  of  religious 
truth.  This  will  not  come  to  the  teacher  by 
longing  for  it.  It  will  not  come  by  deploring  its 
absence.    But  it  will  come  as  the  result  of  eflfort. 


THE    TEACHERS    PERSONAL    EQUIPMENT     211 

Plain,  cvery-day,  and  continued  study,  an  hour 
now   and    an    hour   then ;    this    counts.      Let    us 
resolve,  both  for  our  own  satisfaction  and  use- 
fulness, and  for  the  satisfaction 
What  Effort  i  r   i  r  1 

Will  Do  ^"*^    usefulness    of    our    pupils, 

that  we  will,  by  all  the  ability 
and  time  God  gives  us,  grasp  widely  and  fully 
our  problems.  Then  we  shall  always  impress 
upon  our  pupils  the  conviction  that  we  are  sin- 
cere, and  sincerity  is  a  virtue  of  character,  and 
character  is  the  great  moral  and  religious  light 
whose  radiations  guide  and  direct  more  than  do 
our  words.  Character  is  God's  currency.  It  is 
never  subject  to  depreciation.  Its  owner  may 
purchase  souls  for  the  kingdom  when  his  beg- 
garly dole  of  knowledge  remains  useless  and 
worthless  on  the  threshold  of  a  soul. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  is  the  part  played  by  the  teacher  in  the  building 
of  a  soul's  content? 

What  would  you  say  is  the  supreme  test  of  good 
teaching  in  the  Sunday-school? 

Discuss  the  statement  "  Teachers  are  born,  not  made." 

If  we  really  believe  in  the  training  of  a  teacher,  what 
is  our  personal  duty  in  the  matter? 

Have  you  studied  your  own  temperament?  What 
limitations,  if  any,  does  this  study  reveal? 


212       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

Why  is  control  said  to  be  so  important?  Do  you  con- 
trol each  pupil  in  your  class? 

What  will  one's  ability  to  control  his  own  spirit  be 
worth  in  the  class? 

In  what  way  does  a  wise  teacher  use  the  virtue  of 
patience?     Cite  examples. 

What  is  the  supreme  test  of  one's  fitness  to  teach  for 
God? 

What  is  the  value  of  daily  devotion  to  study? 

Back  of  all  devices  must  be  a  sincere  spirit.  Prove 
this. 

What  do  you  consider  the  psychological  moment  in 
teaching? 

Name  all  the  values  of  scholarship  to  the  teacher. 

What  are  you  doing  now,  what  more  can  you  do,  to 
fit  yourself  to  teach?    Will  you  do  it? 


XVIII 

QUALITIES   THAT   MAKE  THE   TEACHER   A 
GOOD  GOVERNOR 

TyrATTHEW  ARNOLD  declares,  "Conduct 
■'•^■^  is  three-fourths  of  hfe."  Education  is  not 
to  be  regarded  as  a  function  of  society  through 
which  knowledge  alone  is  acquired.  Teaching 
embraces  both  instruction  and  discipline.  Disci- 
pline has  as  its  end  the  training  of  pupils  for  the 
duties,  obligations,  and  responsibilities  of  life. 
It  follows  that  right  conduct  is  secured  only  by 
the  formation  of  right  character  in  early  life. 
The  basic  element  in  conduct  is  self-control  and 
self-guidance.  Until  the  youth  has  acquired  the 
power  of  self-control  and  of  self-guidance  he 
must  be  controlled  and  guided  by  some  agent 
acting  for  him.  This  agent  usually  is  the  teacher. 
The  function  of  the  teacher  as  disciplinarian  ends 
as  soon  as  this  power  of  self-regulation  is  devel- 
oped. Here  the  teacher  needs 
^''xr^u^sT  "*  to  ^^^^"  ^  great  lesson,— trust 
the  pupil,  believe  in  him,  as 
Jesus  believed  in  mankind.  We  shall  never  make 
our  pupils  self-regulating  by  suspecting,  doubting, 
watching,  and  spying  upon  them.    It  is  generally 

213 


214  "^HE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

admitted  now  that  juvenile  criminals  are  most 
speedily  reformed  by  putting  them  upon  their 
honor.  The  fact  that  somebody  believes  in  a 
boy  is  the  surest  stimulus  to  his  standing  stanch 
and  strong  for  the  things  that  some  one  believes 
him  capable  of  doing. 

When  Jesus  said  to  those  he  helped,  "  Go,  sin 
no  more,"  he  placed  confidence  in  them,  gave 
them  to  understand  that  they  could  do  the  right, 
and  that  he  was  willing  to  accept  their  own  life 
determinants  after  they  had  been  properly  taught. 
It  is  not  easy  to  describe  the  quality  I  have  in 
mind,  but  the  thoughtful  teacher  will  understand 
that  truth,  taught  in  a  way  that  impresses  the 
pupil  with  the  fact  that  the  teacher  believes  in 
the  pupil's  ability  to  live  it  out  in  his  daily  life, 
is  most  likely  to  find  such  a  result  is  attained 
by  the  pupil.  Jesus  told  the  people  what  he  knew 
they  could  do,  and  then  left  them  to  do  it,  under 
the  constant  conviction  that  he  expected  no  other 
issue  in  conduct. 

To  control  the  pupil  in  class  in  such  a  way  as 

to  lead  him  to  live  under  self-guidance  later  on 

in  life  the  teacher  must  possess 

"""contrS "'  certain  well-defined  qualifica- 
tions. The  first  of  these  is  clear 
knowledge.  Of  this  quality  in  the  teacher  I 
have  already  written.  The  basis  of  cheerful  obedi- 
ence on  the  part  of  the  pupil  is  confidence,  and 


THE  TEACHKR  A  GOOD  GOVERNOR    2  1$ 

the  clear  knowledge  displayed  by  the  teacher  is 
a  potent  means  of  securing  this  confidence.  The 
teacher  whose  grasp  of  the  subject-matter  of  in- 
struction is  clear  always  teaches  with  confidence. 
Note,  on  the  other  hand,  with  what  subterfuge 
the  unprepared  teacher  seeks  to  deceive  the 
pupils.  To  be  conscious  of  inadequate  knowledge 
is  to  defeat  the  real  purposes  of  instruction.  I 
have  known  teachers  whose  halting,  hesitating,  i 
qualifying  ways  of  putting  things  made  amthing/ 
like  successful  effort  impossible.  What  wins 
confidence  is  the  clear,  specific  statement  of  fact; 
the  direct,  unostentatious  reply  to  questions ;  the 
cool,  deliberate  manner  that  conveys  more  than 
language.  So,  too,  fresh  knowledge  is  of 
moment.  One  must  go  over  the  lesson  thought- 
fully just  before  it  is  to  be  taught.  To  have  the 
lesson  fresh  in  mind,  its  different  parts  clearly 
thought  out,  its  applications  drawn  from  current 
incidents,  and  its  whole  presentation  full  of  that 
warmth  and  fervor  that  come  only  with  fresh 
contact  with  truth, — this  is  to  possess  an  element 
of  control  of  far-reaching  significance. 

Fresh    knowledge    is    knowledge    made    over 

again  in  the  soul  by  steady  and 

Knowledge        frequent  review  of  the  same.    It 

will    not    do    to    let    knowledge 

lie  unused    for    any    length    of   time,    and    then 

expect  to  use  it  as  teaching  material.    It  will  lack 


2l6       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

something,  and  that  something  is  the  very  flavor 
which  makes  it  of  use  as  teaching  material. 

In  addition  to  scholarship  as  a  basis  of  control, 
the  teacher  should  possess  skill,  both  in  teaching 
and  in  managing  a  class.  Knowing  how  to  do 
things  is  always  an  element  of  power.  The 
teacher  who  is  unskilled,  awk- 
skiii  as  Control  ward,  hesitating,  uncertain,  shift- 
ing, indifferent,  will  not  control 
well.  The  admiration  of  a  boy  goes  to  the  man 
who  knows  how  to  do  things.  The  skilful  player, 
the  skilful  skater,  the  skilful  hunter,  the  skilful 
general,  the  skilful  anything,  appeals  and  con- 
trols, Hov/  may  this  skill  be  acquired?  Only 
by  intelligent  and  persistent  practise.  It  cannot 
be  had  in  a  day.  It  cannot  be  had  from  books. 
It  can  be  had  only  by  a  study  of  one's  own  ways 
of  doing  things,  and  the  constant  determination 
to  do  things  better  every  time  they  are  done. 

The  third  element  that  makes  for  control  is 
love.     Of  this  I  have  written  in  the  preceding 
chapter.     The  essential  quality  of  that  love  is  its 
willingness  to  sacrifice,  to  suffer  for  the  pupil. 
The  young  woman  teacher  who 
Love  as  Control    a  few  years  ago  in  Dakota  was 
obliged  to  close  her  school  for 
the  day  when  a  blizzard  swept  the  prairie,  exem- 
plified this  quality  of  love.    Realizing  that  it  was 
equally  impossible  to  remain  in  the  schoolhouse. 


THE  TEACHER  A  GOOD  GOVERNOR     21/ 

or  to  turn  the  children  out  to  perish  alone  in  the 
storm,  she  resorted  to  heroic  means  to  save  their 
lives.  Tearing  her  skirts  into  shreds,  and  bind- 
ing with  these  shreds  all  the  pupils  into  one 
group  with  herself  in  the  lead,  she  led  the  little 
group  out  into  the  pitiless  storm.  Far  into  the 
night,  under  her  courageous  leadership,  they 
fought  their  way  in  the  blinding  blizzard. 
Finally,  almost  exhausted  and  cruelly  frozen,  she 
led  every  one  safely  to  a  farm-house  and  to 
warmth  and  to  shelter.  Her  loving  devotion  had 
enabled  her  to  fight  the  demon  of  death  and  to 
win. 

Some  years  ago,  in  Natchitoches  Parish, 
Louisiana,  I  met  a  young  woman  whose  record 
as  a  teacher  had  won  for  her  the  commendation 
of  her  superintendent.  She  was  a  most  interested 
member  of  a  teachers'  institute  held  in  that  par- 
ish. The  next  year,  on  my  return,  I  missed  her. 
Inquiry  developed  the  fact  that  this  young 
woman  was  dead.  The  cause  of  her  death  was 
told  me  by  one  who  loved  her.  She  taught  a 
rural  school,  far  back  in  the  pine  woods.  Her 
schoolhouse  had  neither  door  nor  windows.  The 
children  sat  on  cross-sections  of 

A  Fine  Example  trecs  Set  ou  end.  The  teacher 
had  no  chair,  no  stove,  no  pro- 
tection from  the  inclement  weather.  One  day 
in  February  a  severe  gulf-storm,  damp  and  cold 


21 8  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

and  penetrating,  swept  over  the  state.  Her  half- 
clothed  children  suffered  from  the  cold.  With- 
out a  moment's  hesitation,  she  stood  in  the  open 
doorway,  her  face  to  her  pupils,  her  back  to  the 
cruel  cold,  that  she  might  in  some  degree  shelter 
her  pupils.  Her  love  for  them  cost  her  life. 
Pneumonia  was  that  day  contracted,  and  in  less 
than  a  week  she  was  laid  to  rest  in  a  bower  of 
roses  carried  by  those  that  loved  her,  and  for 
whom  she  had  given  the  highest  expression  of 
love — her  life. 

This  consecrated  love  involves,  among  its 
minor  qualities,  the  willingness  of  the  teacher  to 
be  present  every  Sunday,  and  on  time.  It  also 
involves  concern  for  the  pupil  that  is  sick ;  for  the 
pupil  that  is  irregular  in  attendance ;  for  the  pupil 
that  comes  late ;  for  the  pupil  who  is  for  any  rea- 
son out  of  joint  with  things.  The  teacher  who  has 
the  right  quality  of  heart  will  be  concerned  for 
this  one  and  will  be  willing  to  sacrifice,  if  need 
be,  to  bring  him  again  to  the  fold,  as  Jesus  was 
willing  to  go  out  at  night  into  the  mountains  to 
recover  the  lost  one. 

Some  teachers  find  it  easy  to  love  certain  types 
of  children,  and  equally  easy  to  hate  other  types. 
The  difficulty  is  that  their  love  is  selfish  and 
they  expect  to  receive  more  than  they  are  willing 
to  give.  For  that  reason  they  make  their  heart 
associations  profitable  things  to  themselves.  They 


THE  TEACHER  A  GOOD  GOVERNOR    219 

rob  the  child,  and  when  the  child  has  nothing 
worth  taking  the  teacher  has  nothing  to  give. 

The  remedy  for  all  this  is  to  love 
The  Ideal  Side      the     child     on     its     ideal     side, 

to  love  it  for  what  you  want 
it  to  be  rather  than  what  it  is,  and  remem- 
ber that  a  small  amount  of  regard  and  interest 
and  love  to  one  that  needs  it  most  is  larger  love 
than  a  great  amount  bestowed  upon  one  who 
needs  it  least.  Jesus  was  all  the  while  searching 
out  those  who  had  fewest  friends  and  least  affec- 
tion, and,  therefore,  the  most  meager  lives  were 
those  that  attracted  him.  Witness  especially  the 
poor  cripple  at  the  pool,  who  gave  utterance 
to  one  of  the  saddest  of  all  human  expres- 
sions recorded  when  he  said,  "  Sir,  I  have  no 
man." 

A  very  dear  friend  of  mine  declares  that,  so  far 
as  he  has  power  to  do  so,  he  means  to  let  some 
sunshine  into  those  lives  that  need  it  most.  I 
commend  his  resolution.  Consider  most  of  all 
the  child  whose  home-life  is  cheerless,  empty, 
and  forbidding.  Pray  for  grace  to  be  considerate 
of  this  one.    A  small  amount  of  concern  for  this 

child    will    be    like    bread    cast 
*  LHe^  "*      upon    the    waters,    like    a    little 

leaven  in  a  barrel  of  meal. 
There  are  children  in  your  class  whose  life-lines 
are  seldom  crossed  by  the  rays  of  cheer,  and 


220  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

kindness,  and  unselfish  concern.  Let  your  spirit 
move  lovingly  to  them.  Remember  how  much 
they  need  you.  Remember  how  much  joy  is  in 
the  soul  of  the  teacher  who  redeems  such  ones 
to  a  Christian  life  enriched  by  faith,  and  hope, 
and  love. 

The  fourth  element  that  makes  for  control  is 

resolution,   firmness,   power  of   will.     It  stands 

opposed    to    spasmodic    control.      It   encourages 

silence  on  the  part  of  the  teacher.     It  avoids  the 

show  of  force,  and  in  an  unob- 

wiii  as  Control  trusive  way  exhibits  itself  be- 
fore the  boys  as  backbone — the 
quality  which  stands  for  certain  principles  and 
will  not  see  these  principles  violated,  nor  suffer 
them,  when  violated,  to  go  unnoted.  Here  the 
teacher  will,  if  not  continually  on  the  alert,  com- 
nit  grave  errors  in  building  character.  Some 
teachers  allow  disorder  and  inattention  to  flour- 
ish until  these  become  intolerable.  Then  with  a 
show  of  force  and  a  regimen  that  is  unworthy 
the  name,  they  coerce  the  pupils  temporarily  into 
order,  and  force  attention.  Good  control  is 
always  equable.  Home  control,  like  teacher  con- 
trol, is  too  often  figured  in  the  following  words 
from  the  pen  of  Jean  Paul  Richter : 

"  If  the  secret  variances  of  a  large  class  of 
ordinary  fathers  were  brought  to  light,  and  laid 
down  as  a  plan  of  studies  and  reading  catalogued 


THE  TEACHER  A  GOOD  GOVERNOR    221 

for  a  moral  education,  they  would  run  somewhat 
after  this  fashion :  In  the  first  hour  '  pure  mor- 
ality must  be  read  to  the  child,  either  by  myself 
or  the  tutor ; '  in  the  second,  '  mixed  morality, 
or  that  which  may  be  applied  to  one's  own  ad- 
vantage ;  '  in  the  third,  '  do  you  not  see  that  your 
father  does  so  and  so  ? '  in  the  fourth,  *  you  arc 
little,  and  this  is  only  fit  for  grown-up  people ; ' 
in  the  fifth,  '  the  chief  matter  is 

''!<ich^er''  ^^'^^  >'°^  should  succced  in  the 
world,  and  become  something  in 
the  state ; '  in  the  sixth,  '  not  the  temporary,  but 
the  eternal,  determines  the  worth  of  a  man ;  '  in 
the  seventh,  *  therefore  rather  suffer  injustice, 
and  be  kind ;  '  in  the  eighth,  '  but  defend  your- 
self bravely  if  any  one  attack  you ; '  in  the  ninth, 
'  do  not  make  a  noise,  dear  child ; '  in  the 
tenth,  *  a  boy  must  not  sit  so  quiet ' ;  in  the 
eleventh,  '  you  must  obey  your  parents  better ; ' 
in  the  twelfth,  *  and  educate  yourself.'  So  by 
the  hourly  change  of  his  principles,  the  father 
conceals  their  untenableness  and  one-sidedness. 
As  for  his  wife,  she  is  neither  like  him,  nor  yet 
like  that  harlequin  who  came  on  to  the  stage 
with  a  bundle  of  papers  under  each  arm,  and 
answered  to  the  inquiry,  what  he  had  under  his 
right  arm,  '  orders,'  and  to  what  he  had  under 
his  left  arm,  *  counter-orders.'  But  the  mother 
might   be    much    better    compared    to    a    giant 


222  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

Briareus     who     had     a    hundred    arms,    and    a 
bundle  of  papers  under  each." 

A  fifth  quahty  that  makes  for  control  is  alert- 
ness, which  is  akin  to  interest.    The  teacher's  eye 
is  a  great  governor ;  it  should  rest  in  the  right 
place    and    seek     out,     without 

Alertness  as  •         i.      j  ••li 

Control  seemnig  to  do  so,  every  possible 

disorder.  Unless  a  thing  is  of 
such  moment  as  to  make  it  a  matter  of  attention, 
it  is  better  not  to  see  it ;  that  is  to  say,  the  teacher 
seeing  it  should  not  see  it,  or  hearing  it  should 
not  hear  it.  This  alertness  anticipates  trouble, 
nips  it  in  the  bud,  kills  the  egg  before  the  trouble 
is  hatched,  and  is,  in  general,  the  preventive 
quality  in  control. 

The  sixth  element  that  makes  for  control  is 
common  sense,  by  which  I  mean  sane  judgment 
about  common  things.  It  is  the  ability  to  dis- 
tinguish between  a  matter  which  is  of  little  or 
no  moment  and  a  matter  which  is  of  great  mo- 
ment.    It  involves  putting  per- 

Common  Sense         „      i.-  •    i.       j-      •    r  Ti.    • 

as  Control  spcctivc  mto  disciplmc.  It  IS 
the  quality  that  enables  the 
teacher  to  pass  by  the  accidental  quality  and  note 
the  essential  tendency.  Most  teachers  defeat 
the  very  ends  they  most  desire  to  accomplish  be- 
cause they  lay  tremendous  emphasis  upon  unim- 
portant matters.  They  have,  therefore,  nothing 
left  as  a   resource   with   which  to   impress   the 


THE  TEACHER  A  GOOD  GOVERNOR     223 

weightier  matters  of  the  law.  They  lose  the 
whole  value  of  good  discipline  to  a  soul  because 
they  have  spent  themselves  over  things  which  the 
pupils  know  are  of  little  moment,  and  the  pupils 
soon  come  to  understand  how  irrational  such 
control  is. 

The  last  of  these  elements  that  make  for  con- 
trol is  personal  character, — the  sum  of  what  one 
is,  the  spirit  with   which   one   does  things,   the 
quality  of  head  and  of  heart  which  make  attrac- 
tive the  things  that  are  right,  and  unattractive 
the  things  that  are  wrong.     We  teach  more  by 
what  we  are  than  by  what  we  know.     No  other 
equipment  is  comparable  to  per- 
con^t*roi"*       sonal  worth.   The  teacher  whose 
own  conduct  is  regulated  by  the 
high  qualities  of  an  ideal  Christian  life  will,  by 
the  force  of  his   own   personality,  best  aid  his 
pupils  to   regulate    their   conduct   by   the    same 
exalted  standards. 

Emphasis  is  placed  upon  this  matter  of  con- 
trol because  it  is  fundamental  in  building  char- 
acter.    We  must  see  plainly  three  steps  in  the 
process  of  building  a  charactered  soul.     At  the 
first,    the   pupils    need    external 
Ts^Essertia*!'      guidance.     This  the  teacher  fur- 
nishes.    The   above  analysis  of 
the  teacher's   equipment   is  to   indicate   how  he 
may  wisely  administer  this  guidance.    Then  fol- 


224       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

lows  a  transitional  period,  during  which  the 
pupils  are  able  in  part  to  guide  their  own  con- 
duct, but  are  obliged  in  part  to  depend  upon  the 
wiser  and  steadier  guidance  of  the  teacher. 
Finally,  the  pupil  is  able  to  stand  erect,  to  act 
upon  his  own  initiative.  He  is  free  from  exter- 
nal guidance.  He  has  set  up  in  his  own  soul  a 
regal  guidance  that  is  his  own.  His  soul  is  free. 
It  acts  as  it  should  because  it  wills  so  to  act.  All 
restraint  is  gone.  Truth  guides  its  decrees  and 
conditions  its  actions.  Thus  the  saying  of  Jesus 
becomes  the  goal  of  the  teacher's  effort, — "  Ye 
shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make 
you  free." 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Just  what  is  embraced  in  the  education  of  a  people? 

What  Hmits,  if  any,  would  you  place  upon  the  saying, 
"  Trust  the  pupil  "  ? 

In  case  your  trust  is  betrayed,  what  would  you  do  ? 

What  educational  value  attaches  to  securing  the  con- 
fidence of  the  pupil? 

Distinguish  between  fresh  knowledge  and  stale  knowl- 


Discuss  the  value  and  the  means  of  securing  skill  in 
teaching. 

Cite  instances  of  sacrificing  love  on  the  part  oi 
teachers  for  their  pupils. 


THE  TEACHER  A  GOOD  GOVERNOR    22$ 

Do  you  know  what  it  means  to  suffer  for  your  pupils? 

What  reward  have  you  if  you  love  only  the  loving? 
If  you  love  the  loveless? 

Point  out  the  evils  of  spasmodic  control. 

In  what  way  may  the  saying,  "  The  eye  of  the  mas- 
ter is  worth  both  his  hands,"  apply  to  the  Sunday- 
school  teacher? 

If  the  end  of  control  is  freedom  through  what  means 
do  you  seek  to  achieve  this  end? 

Compare  the  relative  worth  of  the  seven  elements  of 
control  here  presented,  and  determine  in  which  of  these 
elements  you  are  weak  and  in  which  you  are  strong;  then 
answer  the  question,  What  are  you  going  to  do  about 
it? 


XIX 

CONCERNING  THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY 

TXT'E  HAVE  considered  some  of  the  aspects 
of  soul  growth  and  some  of  the  elements 
in  teacher  equipment.  We  have  seen  so  far  what 
a  teacher  should  know  of  the  child  and  what  he 
should  be.  What  next  is  to  be  considered  ?  We 
have  not  yet  recognized  an  element  of  teacher- 
training  that  seems  to  hold  commanding  place 
in  the  thought  of  many.  That  element  is  the 
knowledge  of  the  subject-matter.  What  of  that? 
Should  not  the  teacher  know  his  subject?  We 
have  already  stated  why  scholarship  is  an  aid 
in  the  control  of  the  class.  Has  it  no  other  use? 
Let  us  see. 

There    are    three    parts    to    the    problem     of 
teacher-training :  ( i )  there  is  a  young  and  grow- 
ing soul  to  be  instructed  and  trained;  (2)  there 
is  a  world  of  religious  truth  to 
ProMem         ^^  known  and  presented  to  this 
young   and    growing   soul ;    and 
(3)   there  is  an  intermediate  agency — a   living, 
disciplined,  and  equipped  teacher — whose   func- 
tion it  is  to  interpret  this  world  of  religious  truth 
to   the   young    and    growing    soul.      There    are 
things   of    the    spirit,    spiritual ;    and    there    are 
226 


CONCERNING    THE    COURSE   OF   STUDY       22/ 

things  of  the  earth,  earthy.  The  spiritual  things 
are  subjective  and  intangible.  The  things  of  the 
earth  are  objective  and  tangible.  The  teacher 
must  translate  this  objective  world  into  terms 
of  the  spirit.  How  can  he  do  this  if  he  is  unfa- 
miliar with  this  objective  world?  How  can  he 
cause  to  arise  in  another  soul  knowledge  that  has 
never  crossed  the  bounds  of  his  own  ?  Surely  he 
can  give  only  as  he  possesses.  It  is  evident  then 
that  a  knowledge  of  the  subject-matter  to  be 
taught  is  an  essential  equipment  of  the  teacher. 

But  his  knowledge  of  the  subject-matter  makes 
him  only  a  scholar.  To  understand  how  to  trans- 
mute this  scholarship  into  terms  of  nutrition  for 
another  soul,  and  to  know  also  how  to  fit  it  to  the 
precise  needs  of  the  learner,  adds  to  his  scholarly 
Scholarship       ability  the  ability  to  teach.     To 

Makes  Only  a  pause  at  Scholarship  is  to  defeat 
the  ends  of  teaching.  Thus  many 
good-intentioned  persons  fail  to  teach.  They  as- 
sume that  when  one  knows  a  thing  he  can  teach 
it.  This  is  pedagogic  heresy.  I  have  known  great 
scholars  who  were  miserable  teachers.  I  recall 
now  an  authority  of  world-wide  renown  in  a 
certain  science  whose  attempts  to  teach  were  piti- 
ful. He  frankly  confessed  that  he  did  not  know 
how  to  present  his  knowledge  to  the  pupil.  He 
usually  sat  upon  the  teacher's  desk  and  requested 
his  pupils  to  ply  him  with  questions.    He  was  a 


228  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

veritable  encyclopedia  of  information  in  his 
chosen  field,  but  he  was  not  in  any  sense  a  real 
teacher.  I  recall  also  a  teacher  of  mine,  years 
ago,  whose  alert  eye  caught  the  first  sign  of  in- 

diflference  in  any  pupil.     I  have 
A  Contrast        known  her  to  stop  one  pupil  in 

the  middle  of  a  sentence,  and 
ask  another  pupil  to  conclude  the  sentence  and 
proceed  with  the  recitation.  She  was  cruelly  ex- 
act, but  she  was  a  teacher.  We  learned  things 
in  her  classes.  She  knew  how  to  hold  the  whole 
class  absolutely  under  the  domination  of  her  own 
purpose. 

The  Sunday-school  teacher  has  turned  of  late 
to  a  study  of  the  many  excellent  outlines  of  the 
subject-matter  of  religious  instruction.  He  has 
been  led  to  think  that  the  mastery  of  some  course 
in  Bible  history,  Bible  geography,  and  Bible  ma- 
terials generally,  will  give  him  the  guidance  and 
equipment  necessary  to  teach  successfully.      He 

knows,  if  he  knows  enough  to 
'^MisieV^*      know   his   own   procedure,   that 

his  guidance  and  equipment  are 
by  no  means  adequate.  He  does  not  get  the  re- 
sults he  longs  for,  labors  for,  prays  for.  Why? 
He  has  been  misled.  Mere  familiarity  with  the 
subject-matter  is  but  one  of  the  three  elements 
of  his  equipment.  He  must  master  all  these  ele- 
ments before  he  is  a  real  teacher. 


CONCERNING  THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY         229 

An  old  gentleman  in  my  native  village,  whose 
occupation  was  that  of  carpenter,  frequently  said 
to  us,  "  Boys,  you  must  not  play  with  sharp  tools. 
Only  trained  mechanics  should  handle  them. 
Play,  if  you  like,  with  the  dull  ones."  Do  you 
agree  with  the  opinion  of  the  old  carpenter?  He 
was  a  man  of  such  kindly  sympathy  and  fair 
judgment  that  we  all  loved  and 

An  Illustration  respected  him.  He  was  a  mod- 
ern John  Pounds.  As  he  drove 
nails  into  furniture  he  also  drove  many  a  help- 
ful thought  into  the  souls  of  the  group  of  curious 
boys  that  crowded  his  shop.  I  incline  to  accept 
his  opinion  and  to  follow  his  advice.  The  dis- 
cerning old  man  was  wise  enough  to  accept  a 
great  truth.  Fine  tools  for  skilled  workmen.  I 
recall  also  that  my  father  never  allowed  me  to 
drive  the  spirited  horse,  but  interposed  no  ob- 
jection to  my  using  an  old  family  horse  that  was 
so  docile  that  he  never  did  shy,  back,  kick,  or 
run.  As  a  child  these  restrictions  annoyed  me. 
I  can  see  now  that  these  men  were  wise  with 
years  of  actual  experience.  They  understood 
that  the  finest  agents  alone  are  fit  to  handle  the 
finest  agencies, — that,  in  short,  these  are  com- 
plementary compensations  in  the  economy  of 
things. 

We  are  admonished  not  to  cast  our  pearls  be- 
fore swine.    A  good  reason  is  given.    The  swine 


230  THE   MAKING   OF  A  TEACHER 

cannot  comprehend  the  utiHty  of  pearls  any  more 
than  a  novice  can  comprehend  the  exquisite  skill 
of  a  professional  man.  As  long  as  we  had 
teachers   whose   conception    of  their   work   was 

summed  up  in  the  three  R's  or  in 
The  Three  R's     "  lickin'  and  laniin',  "  there  was 

little  use  to  think  of  refined 
methods  and  adjusted  materials  of  instruction. 
The  fact  is  that  we  had  to  develop  a  new  concept 
of  the  teacher's  function  before  we  could  train 
teachers  in  normal  and  other  professional  schools 
for  professional  service.  And  the  trained  teacher 
had  to  be  developed  before  the  curriculum  could 
be  modified.  When  the  trained  teacher  arose,  the 
materials  of  education  naturally  and  inevitably 
received  modification.  We  developed  the  artist, 
and  the  artist  found  for  himself  suitable  tools 
to  carve  his  ideals  into  realities. 

Some  are  clamoring  for  graded  courses  of 
study.  Unquestionably  the  subject-matter,  both 
in  kind  and  in  amount,  should  be  adapted  to  the 
capacity  of  the  learner.  No  one  would  for  a 
moment  question  the  value  of  refined  and  peda- 
gogically  organized  material.     The  best  is  none 

too  good   in   the   building   of  a 
Dr.  White         soul,    but    the    real    question    is 

more  fundamental  than  that  of 
the  curriculum.  Dr.  E.  E.  White  wisely  remarks : 
"Teachers    are    building   their  hopes  of  success 


CONCERNING  THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY        23  I 

on  new  plans  and  devices,  or,  to  use  a  much 
abused  term,  on  method.  This,  too,  without  duly 
appreciating,  if  seeing,  the  fact  that  the  efficiency 
of  a  device  or  method  depends  primarily  on  what 
the  teacher  puts  into  it,  and  especially  the  deeper 
fact  that  a  teacher  cannot  put  into  a  method 
what  he  has  not  within  himself." 

This  is  precisely  what  seems  to  me  to  be  true 
in  our  Sunday-school  agitation  over  graded 
courses  of  study.  We  are  not  content  with  the 
results  attained.  We  are  casting  about  for  some 
agency  that  shall  be  made  to  carry  the  burden 
of  blame.  We  have  singled  out  the  uniform 
lesson  as  our  scapegoat.    Upon  it  we  have  placed 

the  burden  of  blame  for  inade- 
u^rrjrn.    quale  results.    But  is  this  right? 

Is  it  reasonable?  Have  we 
found  the  right  victim?  The  one  thing  that  in- 
sists upon  expression  here  is  the  fact  that  the  first 
and  foremost  need  is  properly  qualified  teachers. 
Before  we  refine  our  materials  of  instruction,  we 
must  refine  our  teachers.  The  vital  need  of  the 
Sunday-school  to-day  is  not  graded  courses  of 
study,  but  teacher-training.  Seek  first  to  secure 
efficient  teachers,  and  the  graded  course  of  study 
will  in  due  time  be  added.  It  will  come  as  soon 
as  we  have  teachers  to  use  it.  Sharp  tools  are 
for  trained  mechanics.  The  vital  factor  is  the 
teacher.     To  quote   Dr.   White  again :     '*  The 


232  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

teacher  is  cause;  all  else  is  only  condition  and 
result." 

Let  us  do  some  honest  thinking  right  here.  Let 
us  also  do  some  earnest  praying.  It  is  so  easy 
to  censure,  so  difficult  to  receive  censure.  It  is 
relatively  easy  to  size  up  others,  so  difficult  to 
judge  ourselves.  We  complacently  put  the  blame 
upon  the  materials  given  us.  Why  not  fairly 
face  the  possibility  that  it  is  more  a  matter  of 
the  teacher  than  it  is  a  matter  of  the  course  of 
study?  A  teacher  once  whipped  a  boy.  The 
boy  laughed.  The  teacher,  angered,  whipped  the 
boy  more  severely.  The  boy  laughed  all  the 
more  boisterously.  In  amazement,  the  teacher 
said :  "  What  in  the  world  are  you  laughing 
about  ?  "  The  boy  recovered  himself,  and  said 
in  reply,  "  Why,  teacher,  you  are  whipping  the 
wrong  fellow ! "  In  a  liberal  paraphrase  of 
Shakespeare,  we  may  perhaps  see  the  problem 
as  it  is.  "  The  fault,  dear  teacher,  lies  not  with 
our  course  of  study,  but  with  ourselves  that  we 
are  unsuccessful." 

In  saying  this,  two  matters  of  moment  must 
be  borne  in  mind:  (i)  Teachers  are  not  prima- 
rily to  be  blamed  for  the  condi- 
^"xhings ""  tions  that  prevail.  Just  where 
the  responsibility  rests  is  a 
matter  that  merits  investigation.  Let  us  en- 
deavor to  find  the  cause.     I   suspect  that  even 


CONCERNING  THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY    233 

the  pastor  will  not  rashly  disclaim  responsibility. 
But  it  is  manifest  that  teachers  who  have  been 
willing  to  learn  how  to  teach,  and  have  had  no 
opportunity  to  do  so,  are  not  primarily  at  fault. 
The  time  has  come  for  a  demand  for  greater  ap- 
preciation of  the  dignity  and  the  worth  of  the 
teacher,  for  better  provisions  for  his  training, 
for  a  more  skilful  and  close  supervision  of  his 
preparation  and  of  his  class  exercises,  and, 
for  a  more  enlightened  comprehension  of 
the  importance  of  the  service  the  Sunday- 
school  may  and  should  render  to  the  church.  (2) 
We  face  a  condition,  not  a  theory.  Those  that 
agitate  for  a  reorganization  of  the  subject- 
matter  are  prone  to  overlook  the  fact  that  a 
graded  course  of  study  implies,  as  a  prerequisite 
to  its  successful  use,  a  professionally  equipped 
teacher.  I  assume  that  those  who  insist  upon 
immediate  substitution  of  graded  for  uniform 
lessons  are  either  pure  theorists,  or  they  are  rea- 
soning from  the  secular  to  the  Sunday-school 
without  considering  what  the  graded  course  of 
study  signifies  in  the  equipment  of  the  secular 
school  teacher.  Upon  my  desk  is  a  plan  of 
teacher-training  based  upon  a  visit  to  the  public 
schools  of  a  great  city.  The  author  found  cer- 
tain processes  in  vogue  there.  He  assumes  that 
these  should  be  used  in  the  Sunday-school.  His 
assumption  is  wholly  gratuitous.     It  is  this  sort 


234       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

of  guidance  that  produces  confusion  worse  con- 
founded. 

Let  us  understand  definitely  that  the  secular 
school  has  no  final  word  to  give  as  guidance  in 
this  matter.  Like  the  Sunday-school,  it  is  search- 
ing for  the  best  things.  It  has 
''^"Lho'o"/*'  not  found  them.-  To  copy  its 
present  plans  would  be  of  little 
use  in  the  final  solution  of  our  problem.  It  is 
evident  to  me  that  the  real  answer  in  all  this 
can  come  only  from  an  inductive  study  of  our 
conditions  as  they  are.  There  should  be  a  com- 
mission named  by  the  most  competent  Sunday- 
school  organization  in  the  world.  This  commis- 
sion should  have  the  means  at  its  command  to 
secure  exact  data  of  the  present  status  of  the 
Sunday-schools,  and  upon  this  basis  of  fact,  for- 
mulate a  report  of  our  needs.  Such  a  commis- 
sion would  be  an  epoch-making  body  in  our 
advance.  Some  patriotic  lover  of  the  cause  may 
find  in  this  a  suggestion  of  a  service  of  far- 
reaching  importance. 

The  discontent  with  present  results  in  moral 
and  religious  training  is  not  confined  to  the 
Sunday-school.  It  is  universal.  We  are  passing 
through  a  period  of  inquiry  and  of  unrest. 
We  have  taken  account  of  our  stock  and  we 
realize  our  need.  We  must  find  a  way  to  impress 
moral  and  religious  truth  upon  our  children  be- 


CONCERNING  THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY    235 

fore  they  reach  maturity.  It  is  the  growing  soul 
in  a  growing  body  that  calls  for  nutrition.  We 
must  come  to  a  quickened  sense  of  this  need  if 

we  are  to  touch  the  whole  life 
Universal  ^      °^  ^^^  child  and  of  the  race  with 

the  influences  that  are  holy  and 
enduring.  My  conviction  is  that  at  the  heart  of 
this  reform  is  the  teacher.  We  teach  vastly  more 
by  what  we  are  than  by  what  we  know.  The 
hope  of  our  children  is  the  life  of  the  teacher, 
and,  of  course,  the  life  of  the  parent.  Life  molds 
life.  Let  us  center  our  thought  upon  the  problem 
of  producing  in  the  teacher  all  the  qualities  of 
life  that  God  would  have  in  the  soul  of  his  chil- 
dren. Then  we  shall  easily,  speedily,  surely,  gain 
all  the  lesser  conditions  that  make  for  success 
in  this  supreme  responsibility — the  responsibility 
of  fitting  life  to  achieve  its  full  development  here 
and  its  triumphant  glories  hereafter. 

Questions  and  Suggestions 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Naine  the  parts  of  the  problem  of  teacher-training 
and  discuss  their  relative  importance. 

Point  out  clearly  the  difference  between  a  teacher 
and  a  scholar. 

Do  you  know  of  persons  whose  scholarship  is  much 
better  than  is  their  teaching  power? 

Is  a  graded  course  of  more  moment  than  teacher- 
training? 


236       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

Which  should  come  first,  better  teachers  or  better 
materials?    Why? 

Suppose  you  had  improved  lesson-material  and  the 
same  teacher,  would  you  surely  improve  the  teaching? 

If  you  had  the  task  of  reorganizing  our  whole  Sunday- 
school  work,  what  would  you  do  first? 

What  could  a  commission  of  trained  and  consecrated 
leaders  do  for  the  Sunday-school  ? 

Do  you  favor  such  a  commission?  Why?  What  will 
you  do  to  secure  it? 

What,  in  your  judgment,  are  the  difiiculties  to  be 
overcome  in  the  matter  of  securing  thoroughly-equipped 
teachers  for  our  Sunday-schools  ? 


XX 

CONCERNING     THE     RECITATION 

A  N  OBJECT  of  study  is  a  lesson  assigned  to 
'^^  be  recited  by  the  pupil.  A  subject  of  study 
is  a  group  of  objects  of  study  that  are  related  one 
to  another,  and,  when  taken  together  and  organ- 
ized, constitute  a  special  line  of  investigation,  as 
the  subject  of  history,  the  subject  of  arithmetic, 
the  subject  of  Bible  geography,  etc.  A  course  of 
study  is  a  group  of  subjects  of  study  so  organ- 
ized as  to  comprehend  the  entire 

Terms  Defined  range  of  knowledge  to  be  pre- 
sented to  the  child  in  school ; 
thus  a  course  of  study  is  made  up  of  subjects  of 
study,  and  each  subject  of  study  is  made  up  of 
objects  of  study,  and  these  objects  of  study  are 
the  lessons  which  the  pupil  must  prepare  from 
time  to  time. 

The  lesson  assigned  becomes  the  basis  of  the 
recitation  at  the  next  stated  period  when  the 
class  meets.  Here  is  an  important  matter  for  the 
Sunday-school  teacher.  You  cannot  have  a 
good  recitation  without  proper  preparation. 
Work  must  be  assigned  in  advance  of  the  time 
when  it  is  to  be  recited,  and  some  study  should 

237 


238  THE   MAKING   OF   A  TEACHER 

be  given  to  the  lesson  before  the  class  meets  to 
recite, — this  is  fundamental  in  all  good  teaching. 

Nobody     thinks,      who     thinks 
Preparation       wisely,  of    Calling    pupils    to    a 

recitation  without  previously 
assigning  definite  work  to  be  prepared  by  them ; 
except,  of  course,  when  the  age  of  the  pupils  is 
such  that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  do  any 
outside  study.  But  the  child  that  can  read  intelli- 
gently is  prepared  to  study  in  advance  of  the 
recitation,  and  should  do  so. 

I  notice  generally  that  Sunday-school  pupils 
come  to  class  without  the  least  idea  of  what  the 
lesson  is.  The  result  is  poor  recitation,  wasted 
time,  unprepared  minds,  futile  effort  and  alto- 
gether an  unfortunate  exercise.  I  see  no  reason 
why  a  teacher  of  a  Sunday-school  class  should 
not  assign  the  work  a  week  in  advance.  It  is 
not  enough  to  say  that  the  lesson  next  Sunday 
v/ill  be  found  in  such  and  such  a  place  in  the 
Bible.  That  is  not  assigning  a  lesson,  nor  is  it 
a  proper  preparation  for  a  recitation.  Suppose 
we  have  thirty  minutes  in  which  to  teach  a  lesson. 
A  wise  teacher  will  consider  eight  minutes  of 
that  time  well  spent  if  spent  in  assigning  the 
work  of  the  week  to  come.  I  believe  that  in  this 
one  matter  a  great  reform  could  be  carried  out 
in  our  Sunday-school  teaching.  We  have  a  right 
to  expect  pupils  to  prepare  their  work,  and  it  is 


CONCERNING    THE    RECITATION  239 

our  duty  as  their  teachers  to  have  that  work 
properly  prepared. 

What  should  be  the  nature  of  this  assignment 
of  work?  In  general,  the  teacher  should  point 
out  the  leading  things  in  the  lesson  that  are 
to  be  considered  at  the  next  recitation.  It  would 
be  well  to  have  the  pupils  jot  these  down  on  a 
sheet  of  paper.  All  points  in  a  lesson  are  not 
equally  important.  The  pupils  do 
Assignment  not  know  what  are  the  important 
things.  They  need  to  be  guided 
in  their  study,  and  the  purpose  of  this  assign- 
ment is  to  show  where  the  emphasis  should  be 
placed,  what  should  be  wrought  out  with  care, 
and  what  should  be  carried  as  merely  incidental 
to  these  dominant  and  vital  things.  In  particular, 
the  assignment  should  also  lay  upon  each  pupil 
the  obligation  of  reporting  upon  some  special 
thing.  This  special  thing  may  be  common  to  all 
the  class,  or  each  may  have  a  definite  special  task. 

But  I  hear  an  objection  to  this.  Teachers  con- 
sider only  the  lesson  that  is  next  to  be  taught, 
and  the  truth  is  the  teacher  himself  is  usually 
ignorant  of  what  the  second  lesson  is  to  be  until 
the  first  one  is  taught,  all  of  which  proves  that 
our  present  method  of  conducting  training 
classes,  so-called,  is  bad.  There  is  no  pedagogi- 
cal justification  whatever  for  such  narrow 
preparation.    It  is  bound  to  result  in  the  inade- 


240  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

quate  and  unsatisfactory  conditions  that  now  so 

generally  prevail.    The  leader  of  a  training-class 

should  point  out  to  the  teachers 

An  Objection  •       1  •  11  .  c 

Answered        1"  "^s  group  a  wholc  quarter  of 
lessons,  showing  how  one  is  re- 
lated to  another,  for  it  is  impossible  to  construct 
a  system  of  truth  unless  each  lesson  is  taught  as 
part  of  all  the  lessons.     We  would  not  think  of 
allowing  a  teacher  of  arithmetic  to  present  a  part 
of  that  subject,  and  at  the  same  time  be  ignorant 
of    the    other  part.       Why  should  we  allow  a 
Sunday-school  teacher  to  present  one  lesson,  and 
be  entirely  ignorant  of  what  the  next  lesson  is? 
Are  we  not  actually  producing  intellectual  hash 
for  these  children,  and  feeding  them  scrappy  stuff 
when  they  ought  to  have  a  well-organized,  con- 
nected, and  properly  related  group  of  nutritions? 
The  recitation  is  the  teacher's  opportunity  pre- 
eminent to  sit  down  with  a  small  group  of  chil- 
dren to  consider  with  them  a  lesson,  to  look  into 
their  faces,  to  question,  to  guide  their  thinking, 
to  lead  them  out  of  the  mists 
The  Recitation       ^  ghadows  of  doubt,  and  raise 

an  Opportunity  ' 

them  up  into  the  broad  table- 
lands and  the  light  of  truth.  It  is  unquestionably 
a  glorious  and  a  holy  opportunity.  Prize  the 
recitation  hour  as  the  opportunity  of  your  life 
to  do  something,  to  do  it  well;  an  opportunity 
that  a  soul  should  long  for,  pray  for,  prepare  for. 


CONCERNING   THE    RECITATION  24 1 

The  function  of  the  recitation  is  primarily  to 
test  the  knowledge  of  the  pupils,  and  knowledge 
needs  to  be  tested.  By  testing  the  knowledge  I 
mean  proving  it,  putting  it  on  trial,  submitting 
it  to  rigid  cross-questioning  in  order  to  determine 
whether  or  not  it  is  good  knowl- 

''"Reciution"'  ^dge  or  bad  knowledge,  clear 
knowledge  or  confused  knowl- 
edge. This  test  should  be,  therefore,  thorough, 
searching,  and  inspiring.  Avoid  superficial, 
haphazard  recitations.  They  produce  careless- 
ness, indifference,  and  superficiality  in  the  pupil. 
The  recitation  is  not  likely  to  be  of  a  higher  order 
than  the  requirement  set  by  the  teacher. 

In  testing  a  pupil's  knowledge  the  recitation 
must  require  full  and  accurate  expression.  In 
no  other  way  can  the  teacher  determine  what 
the  pupil  knows,  and  in  no  other  way  should  he 
undertake  to  determine  it.  He  must  assume  ab- 
solutely nothing.  Prove  all  things;  hold  fast  to 
that  which  is  good.  The  recita- 
^''e'citltion'"  ^"^o"  should  be  free;  the  pupils 
should  be  permitted  to  say  in 
their  own  way  what  they  understand  to  be  the 
truth.  Of  course,  the  wise  teacher  will  not  allow 
one  pupil  to  talk  all  the  time,  nor  will  he  allow 
any  pupil  to  remain  entirely  silent  throughout 
the  recitation.  It  is  while  the  pupil  states  his 
views   and    forms   his    thoughts    and    expresses 


242  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

his  Opinions  that  the  teacher  has  a  look  into  his 
soul.  This  look  will  reveal  to  the  teacher  his 
duty  and  his  obligation. 

As  a  second  end  in  the  recitation  I  would 
name  the  test  of  the  mental  power  of  the  pupil. 
This  will  reveal  itself  to  the  thoughtful,  observ- 
ant teacher,  as  the  pupil  gradually  moves  away 
from  the  technical  knowledge  of  the  book  into 
the  freer  knowledge  of  his  own  spirit,  and  also 
as  the  pupil  increasingly  turns  to  his  own  experi- 
ences and  his  own  observations  to  fortify  and 
illustrate  his  opinions.  The  whole  purpose  here 
is  to  ascertain  whether  or  not  the  pupil  is  com- 
ing into  possession  of  increased  mental  insight, 
and  as  he  comes  into  the  possession  of  this  in- 
creased power  he  is  really  acquiring  the  best 
equipment  for  subsequent  study,  and  also  for 
guidance  in  conduct. 

A  third  end  is  to  test  the  pupil's  skill.     Skill 
is  a  difficult  quality  to  define  or  to  measure.     It 
is  more  evasive,  more  uncertain,  more  unequal 
in  different  pupils  than  is  knowledge,  and  yet  it 
is  a  matter  that  may  be  noted 
Recitation        ^^^^*  pupils  do    becomc    increas- 
ingly proficient  in  their  ability  to 
give  expression  to  thought.     They  phrase  their 
sentences  better,  they  organize  their  whole  physi- 
cal relation  to  thought  better,  and  they  think  with 
greater  depth  and  rapidity  as  they  take  on  skill 


CONCERNING    THE    RECITATION  243 

There  are  two  methods  of  conducting  the  reci- 
tation that  claim  our  attention.  The  first  of  these 
is  the  question  method.  The  second  is  the  topic 
method.  The  question  method  is  first  of  all 
thorough.  It  enables  the  teacher  to  press  the  mat- 
ter close  and  to  find  where  there 
MefhlT  are  depths  of  thought,  and  also 
to  discern  where  there  are  shal- 
lows and  weak  places.  A  skilful  questioner  is 
the  despair  of  improper  preparation.  It  is  also 
the  power  that  makes  clear  to  the  pupil  his  limi- 
tations. A  pupil  whose  language  is  fluent  may 
talk  glibly  with  a  very  superficial  knowledge  of 
the  subject^  but  the  keen  questions  of  the  teacher 
reveal  the  weakness  of  the  pupil  and  prepare  the 
way  for  more  definite  and  concerted  processes. 

By  a  wise  use  of  the  question  the  teacher  may 
unfold  the  subject  under  consideration  syste- 
matically. He  controls  the  order  of  the  topics, 
and  can  give  proper  emphasis  to  important  mat- 
ters, as  all  good  teaching  should.  It  also  enables 
the  teacher  to  give  incidental  instruction  under 
the  most  favorable  conditions.  Sometimes  the 
question  reveals  the  fact  that  a  little  side  remark, 
turning  to  the  blackboard  to  make  a  diagram, 
the  introduction  of  concrete  incidents,  or  the  re- 
statement of  a  forgotten  fact,  will  help  the  pupil 
to  move  on  through  a  subject  to  clear  conclusions. 

Under  no  other  form  of  teaching  is  this  pos- 


244  '^'i^E    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

sible  with  so  little  effort.  All  of  this  points  to 
the  fact  that  the  question  should  be  clear,  con- 
cise, and  definite.  A  question  that  is  not  clear 
IS  a  bad  question.  A  question  that  is  not  con- 
cise is  a  confusing  question.  A  question  that  is 
not  definite  is  a  useless  question.  As  a  rule  the 
teacher  should  .  organize  ques- 
Question  tions  in  such  an  order  as  to  un- 
fold the  subject  of  the  lesson  in 
a  logical  order.  Beginning  at  some  definite  point 
the  question  should  follow  a  connected  sequence 
leading  step  by  step  to  the  most  important  and 
ultimate  issues.  Of  course  questions  that  can 
be  answered  by  "  Yes  "  and  "  No  "  are  generally 
poor  questions,  and  questions  that  convey  to  the 
mind  of  the  pupil  the  answer  are  also  poor  ques- 
tions. The  teacher,  too,  by  his  manner  of  asking 
the  question  may  predispose  the  child  to  answer 
it  in  a  manner  to  please  the  teacher  rather  than 
to  give  an  opinion  or  exercise  his  own  best 
thought.  This  question  method  has  at  least  two 
defects.  It  is  liable  to  abuse,  because  pupils  may 
fall  into  the  habit  of  answering  in  a  few  broken 
phrases  instead  of  answering  in  connected  and 
coherent  sentences.  This  weakness,  however, 
may  be  overcome  by  the  firmness  of  the  teacher 
in  insisting  upon  getting  right  forms  of  expres- 
sion from  the  pupil. 

An  objection   to   the   question   method   is   its 


CONCERNING    THE    RECITATION  245 

failure  to  compel  systematic  thought.  The  order 
of  the  questions,  as  they  are  presented  by  the 
teacher,  relieves  the  pupil  of  the  need  of  organiz- 
ing his  thought  into  a  system.     He  follows  the 

system  set  by  the  teacher.  When 
Qu?sUonMethod    ^he   qucstions   are   printed   in   a 

book,  and  the  children  are  only 
to  make  answers  to  these  questions,  there  is 
bound  to  result  fragmentary  thinking.  The  reci- 
tation is  to  cultivate  the  power  to  classify  or 
arrange  systems  of  thought,  and  should  not  pre- 
sent classified  and  systematized  thought  to  the 
pupil.  The  question  method  is  a  fine  method  of 
teaching,  but  it  requires  a  finer  teacher  to  use  it 
wisely.  In  the  hands  of  an  inexperienced  or 
untrained  teacher  it  is  liable  to  degenerate  into 
a  very  superficial,  mechanical,  and  unsatisfac- 
tory form  of  teaching.  In  general  it  may  be  said 
that  this  method  of  teaching  should  not  be  pur- 
sued until  the  pupils  have  reached  the  power  to 
think  systematically,  and  this  power  comes  rela- 
tively late  in  the  development  of  the  pupil's  mind. 
The  second  method  of  conducting  the  recita- 
tion is  the  topic  method.     Its  cardinal  virtue  lies 

in  the  fact  that  it  is  a  good  test 
''"ivTe^hTd*         o^   expression.     It   compels   the 

pupil  to  state  a  series  of  con- 
nected thoughts,  and  throws  upon  the  pupil  the 
responsibility  of  organizing  this  thought  into  a 


246  THE    MAKING   OF    A   TEACHER 

system,  and  giving  to  it  an  expression  which 
necessitates  systematic  thought.  For  that  reason 
it  is  best  suited  to  the  more  mature  pupils.  A 
skilful  teacher  is  required  to  guide  this  method 
of  teaching  in  order  to  avoid  the  possibility  of 
the  recitation  falling  into  a  mere  talking  exer- 
cise, in  which  no  proper  regard  is  given  to  im- 
portant things,  and  in  which  no  emphasis  is 
placed  upon  the  vital  thoughts  of  the  lesson.  It 
is  perhaps  wise  to  combine  these  two  methods, 
using  one  and  then  the  other,  but  always  keeping 
in  mind  the  fact  that  no  matter  what  the  method 
is,  the  aim  is  to  test  thoroughly  what  the  pupil 
knows,  and  what  he  is  able  to  state  concerning 
what  he  knows. 

There  are  three  ways  of  calling  upon  pupils  to 
recite.  The  first  of  these  is  the  consecutive 
method.  By  this  process  the  teacher  begins  at 
one  place  in  the  class,  and  calls  upon  the  pupils 
in  order  from  the  first  to  the  last.  This  enables 
the  teacher  to  accomplish  a  very  great  deal  in  a 
short  space  of  time,  but  it  amounts  to  little  more 
than  individual  instruction,  since  the  only  pupil 
that  gives  close  attention  is  the 

Reciting         °"^  "^^°  ^^  ^^  ^^^  *^"^^  reciting 

and  the  one  who  is  next  to  be 

called  upon.     The   pupils   should  not  know   in 

advance  the  order  in  which  they  are  to  be  called 

upon  to  recite.     The  second  method,  then,  cor- 


CONCERNING   THE   RECITATION  24/ 

rects  this  error,  and  may  be  called  the  promiscu- 
ous method.  By  this  method  the  teacher  calls 
upon  the  pupils  in  no  fixed  order.  The  same 
pupil  may  be  called  upon  twice  in  succession, 
and  this  promiscuous  treatment  of  the  pupils  re- 
quires that  each  one  shall  give  close  attention  and 
be  prepared  to  recite.  Here,  of  course,  whether 
a  question  is  asked  or  a  topic  assigned,  the  pupil 
who  is  to  recite  should  not  be  told  of  it  until  the 
question  is  asked  or  the  topic  announced. 

The  third  method  calls  upon  all  the  pupils  to 
recite  simultaneously.  It  is  called  the  concert 
method,  and  is  generally  very  poor.  The  few 
pupils  who  are  prepared  lead  in  the  answer  and 
the  others  chime  in.  The  teacher  has  no  means 
of  knowing  who  is  talking.  In  this  way  the  in- 
different pupils  conceal  their  inadequate  prepa- 
ration behind  the  others.  The  only  purpose  for 
which  I  would  advise  the  concert  method  is  to 
secure  expression  from  certain  timid  pupils  who 

might  otherwise  not  gain  enough 
Concert  Method    confidence    to     spcak.      I     have 

known  shy  pupils  who  were 
afraid  of  their  own  voices,  and  who  would  not, 
therefore,  recite  if  they  thought  others  were  lis- 
tening. To  encourage  these  to  speak  the  concert 
recitation  has  some  merit.  The  wise  teacher  will 
soon  understand  when  to  drop  the  plan  and  lead 
the  timid  pupil  to  speak  alone  and  courageously. 


248  THE    MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

We  have  not  yet  reached  the  point  in  the  de- 
velopment of  our  Sunday-school  work  when  it 
is  possible  to  submit  the  pupils  at  the  end  of  a 
year,  or  of  a  half  year,  to  a  rigid  written  exam- 
ination, and  yet  such  an  examination  is  a  part 
of  the  full  teaching  process  and  should  receive 
the  attention  of   Sunday-school  teachers   every- 
where.    We  ought  to  be  asking 
ExaJilTation       oursclves  whether  we  have  any 
means  now  of  proving  our  work, 
and  if  we  have   no   such  means  we  should  be 
asking  ourselves  the  question,  What  can  be  done 
in  order  to  accomplish  this  result  ?    At  this  point 
I  wish  to  say  that  the  need  of  the  examination  is 
conditioned  upon  the  inadequate  training  of  the 
teacher.    The  better  equipped  on  the  professional 
side  the  teacher  is  the  less  need  there  will  be  for 
examination.     If  we  may  fairly  assume  that  our 
teaching  processes  are  not  what  they  shoidd  be, 
it  follows   as   a   pedagogical   necessity   that   the 
examination  should  in  some  way  be  used  to  sup- 
plement what  our  teachers  are  now  doing.    The 
significance    of   the    examination    will   gradually 
decline  as  the  professional  spirit  of  the  teacher 
rises,  and  I  for  one  long  for  the 
The  Better  Way    day    when    we    shall    see    more 
clearly  than  we  now  do  the  great 
value  to  the  childhood  of  the  church  of  trained 
and  consecrated  teachers.     The  more  I  ponder 


CONCERNING    THE    RECITATION  249 

upon  the  problem  the  more  fully  am  I  con- 
vinced that  only  through  the  proper  training  of 
the  teacher  may  we  hope  for  ideal  conditions  in 
the  Sunday-school. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Note  the  relation  between  a  lesson,  a  branch  of  learn- 
ing, and  a  curriculum. 

What  part  does  the  preparation  play  in  the  recitation? 
Do  we  now  utilize  this  part  as  we  should?  As  we 
could? 

The  recitation  is  the  focus  of  the  teacher's  effort.  Why 
is  this  so? 

What  is  embraced  in  a  proper  assignment  of  a  lesson? 

Answer  the  objections  that  may  be  urged  against  as- 
signment of  the  lesson  in  advance. 

What  are  the  functions  of  the  recitation? 

How  much  of  the  whole  time  of  the  Sunday-school 
should  be  given  to  the  lesson? 

What  methods  of  conducting  the  recitation  do  you 
use  ? 

Point  out  the  values  and  the  dangers  of  the  question 
method. 

What  ways  of  calling  upon  the  pupils  are  to  be 
studied?     Which  one  is  the  best?     Why? 


XXI 

PHASES    OF   RELIGIOUS   TRAINING 

T  N  THE  training  of  a  soul  in  moral  and  re- 
ligioiis  truth,  certain  guiding  principles 
should  be  taken  account  of  and  should  direct  the 
processes  of  the  teacher.  At  the  outset  let  us 
agree  upon  one  guiding  principle  that  is  far- 
reaching  in  its  significance.  The  mind  must  be 
trained  in  the  formation  of  right  judgments  be- 
fore it  can  adequately  deal  with 

A  Fundamental  i-    •  j.      i.i  --ri  i      t, 

L^^  religious    truth.      ihe    soul,    by 

training,  becomes  a  keen  instru- 
ment of  thought.  It  acquires  the  power  to 
separate  and  to  combine,  to  analyze  and  to 
synthesize  the  data  furnished  by  the  senses 
and  also  the  data  furnished  by  its  own  activities. 
This  training  is  a  prerequisite  to  the  proper  use 
of  religious  truth.  But  this  training  can  come 
only  by  the  proper  exercise  of  the  thought- 
powers  of  the  soul.  I  would  so  have  it  that  this 
training  should  be  secured  by  judicious  exercise 
in  secular  truth  and  in  the  more  elementary  as- 
pects of  religious  truth. 

To  make    this    training    effective    the   teacher 
must  multiply  incidents  that  occasion  right  judg- 
250 


PHASES   OF   RELIGIOUS   TRAINING  2$  I 

ment.  Test  your  class  frequently  upon  common 
incidents  in  human  life.  These  incidents  should 
aim  to  figure  to  the  mind  some  moral  or  religious 
truth,  such  as  conscientiousness,  truthfulness, 
humility,  etc.  Make  these  tests  at  first  very 
simple,  and  let  them  become  increasingly  com- 
plex. Note  always  how  the 
TeZ%s\7  emotional  aspects  of  the  case 
condition  the  judgment  of  the 
pupil.  Your  work  is  not  well  done  until  the 
pupil  has  the  power  to  discern  between  the  deci- 
sion that  judgment  enforces  and  the  decision  that 
the  feelings  suggest.  Note,  too,  how  readily  the 
pupil  at  first  is  led  astray  in  his  judgment  by  con- 
fusing real  elements  with  accidental  elements  of 
the  problem.  The  young  lady,  fresh  from  school, 
who  was  unable  to  compute  the  cost  of  thirteen 
pounds  of  meat  at  nine  cents  a  pound,  provided 
one-third  of  the  meat  was  fat,  is  not  the  only 
person  whose  mind  goes  astray  on  "  the  fat." 

John  was  twelve  years  old.  One  morning  his 
mother  called  him  at  seven-thirty.  John  sprang 
out  of  bed,  dressed  promptly,  and  presented  him- 
self on  time  at  the  breakfast  table.  While  eating 
his  breakfast  his  mother  said :  "  John,  before 
you  go  to  school  I  want  you  to  go  on  an  errand 
for  me."  "  All  right,  mother  dear,"  said  John. 
After  breakfast  John  went  out  and  played  with 
his  comrades  until  school-time.    At  nine  precisely 


252  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

he  was  lined  up,  cheerful,  and  serenely  happy  at 
school.  He  was  industrious,  polite,  and  orderly 
all  the  morning  in  school.  At  noon  he  went 
home.  His  mother  said :  "  John,  why  did  you 
fail  to  go  on  that  errand  for  me  this  morning?  " 

John  looked  his  mother  in  the 
"^^i^ohn"'       ^ye  and  said:  "I  forgot."     At 

one-thirty  he  was  in  school 
again  on  time.  During  the  afternoon,  as  a  boy 
in  the  next  grade  below  passed  John's  desk,  in 
some  way  John's  foot  tripped  the  smaller  boy. 
There  was  some  confusion,  and  the  teacher 
turned  to  John  and  said :  "  John,  how  did  you 
happen  to  do  that  ?  "  John  answered  promptly : 
"  It  was  an  accident,  teacher."  Evidently  the 
teacher  was  of  a  different  mind.  She  said  to 
him :  "  You  may  remain  after  school ;  I  want 
to  see  you."  John  remained.  He  reached  home 
half  an  hour  late.  "  Why,  John,  you  are  late ; 
what  is  the  cause  ?  "  asked  his  mother.  "  Oh,  I 
was  talking  to  the  teacher,"  said  John.  What  do 
you  think  of  John? 

As  you  read  this  over  did  you  notice  the  change 
in  your  opinion  sentence  after  sentence?  Read 
it  again  and  note  at  what  places  in  the  story  you 
approved,  and  at  what  places  you  did  not  ap- 
prove, of  John's  conduct.  What  was  your  final 
judgment  based  upon  ?  Did  you  count  up  all  the 
commendable  things  John  did,  and  also  count 


PHASES    OF    RELIGIOUS    TRAINING  253 

up  all  the  non-commendable  things  John  did, 
and  then  strike  a  balance?  What  really  did  de- 
termine your  final  judgment?  Did  you  take  into 
account  all  his  acts,  or  did  you  judge  him  for 
his  last  remark  to  his  mother?  How  should  we 
arrive  at  a  conclusion  in  a  case  like  this? 

You  will  notice  that  the  story  ends  with  an 

appeal  to  judgment.     This  seems  to  me  to  be  a 

most  important  thing  to  keep  in 

as  a  result  of  bringing  a  group 
of  related  ideas  into  consciousness  that  is  sig- 
nificant. All  of  these  ideas  should  be  weighed, 
their  relative  significance  and  importance  de- 
termined, and  the  judgment  at  the  end  should 
announce  the  verdict  of  the  soul  upon  the  facts 
in  evidence.  A  training  to  this  end  is  most  im- 
portant. It  stands  opposed  to  those  excessive 
memory  efforts  which  we  have  heretofore  seen 
are  at  war  with  all  good  teaching.  It  also  stands 
opposed  to  hasty  generalizations, — the  tendency, 
all  too  common,  of  leaping  to  conclusions  with- 
out a  proper  consideration  of  the  facts  that 
determine  what  the  conclusion  should  be.  I  be- 
lieve that  Sunday-school  teach- 
^'oJp*rs^es"'^  ers  are  very  much  open  to  this 
criticism.  They  state  a  fact  or 
two  and  then  expect  the  pupils,  on  this  meager 
basis  of  concrete  material,  to  arrive  at  a  uniform 


254  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

law  governing  religious  conduct.  Nothing  is 
gained  by  such  processes,  and  much  is  lost.  This 
training  stands  opposed  also  to  a  form  of  reason- 
ing which  is  capable  of  much  mischief.  I  refer 
to  the  form  of  reasoning  called  reasoning  by 
analogy.  Some  object  of  the  physical  world  is 
made  to  represent  some  object  of  the  spiritual 
world,  and  what  is  true  of  the  object  in  the  phy- 
sical world  is  by  analogy  said  to  be  true  of  some 
object  in  the  spiritual  world. 

I  once  heard  a  minister  preach  a  sermon  on 
the  admonition,  "  Be  ye  therefore  wise  as  ser- 
pents, and   harmless   as   doves."     He   discussed 
snakes  to   perfection,    and   then   turned   all   the 
detailed    statement   concerning   snakes   into   de- 
tailed spiritual  guidance.    He  did  the  same  thing 
with  the   doves,   and   when   the   doves   and   the 
snakes  did  not  quite  behave  as  he 
Method*^         thought  a  Christian  ought  to  be- 
have,   he    pointed    out    the    fact 
that  perhaps   if  we  knew  the   serpent  and  the 
dove   well    enough,    we    should    find    that    they 
actually  did  behave  in  such  a  way  as  to  become 
perfect  models  for  religious  guidance !     What  I 
wish  you  to  see  here  is  that  a  lot  of  gratuitous 
information  was  read  into  the  text,  and  the  im- 
pression left  on  the  mind  of  the  hearer  was  any- 
thing but  helpful  or  wholesome  or  inspiring. 
I    think  that  we  are  inclined  to  strain  Bible 


PHASES   OF   RELIGIOUS   TRAINING  25$ 

language  as  if  somehow  it  were  capable  of  in- 
definite expansion.  We  read  into  the  text  things 
which  we  want  there,  whether  they  actually  are 
tliere  or  not.  For  the  child  it  would  seem  to  me 
only  fair  that  the  language  of  the  Bible  should 
have  only  such  meanings  attached  to  it  as  legiti- 
mately inhere  therein,  and  as  fall  within  the 
grasp  of  the  child.  There  is  no 
T°ildercr  reason  why  an  exhaustive  treat- 
ment of  the  text  should  be  given 
to  the  child,  and  certainly  no  reason  why  there 
should  be  forced  and  fanciful  relations  estab- 
lished to  impress  the  child  with  the  marvelous 
breadth  and  suggestiveness  of  the  Word  of 
Truth. 

Here  again  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  important 
fact  that  the  concrete  material   should  be   pre- 
sented first ;  that  speedily  we  should  lift  the  pupil 
out  of  this  concrete  material  into  forms  of  judg- 
ment and  reason.     A  teacher  of  eight-year-old 
pupils  said,  "  Children,  you  must  always  be  kind 
to  animals ;  God  made  them,  and 
PreJentetL      ^^^    wauts    you    to    treat     them 
kindly.     Remember  this  lesson." 
Another  teacher,  having  the  same  grade  of  pupils, 
said  to  them :  "  Children,  one  day,  when  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  and  a  party  of  friends  were  riding 
over  the  plains  of  Illinois,  they  passed  through 
a  thicket  of  wild  plum  trees.    They  stopped  at  a 


256  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

stream  to  water  their  horses,  and  then  traveled 
on.  They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when 
they  noticed  that  Lincohi  was  not  with  the  party. 
One  said  to  another,  '  Where  is  Lincohi  ?  '  An- 
other one  rephed,  '  The  last  I  saw  of  Lincoln  he 
had  caught  two  young  birds  which  the  wind  had 
blown  out  of  the  nest,  and  he  was  hunting  for 
the  nest,  that  he  might  put  them  back  into  it.' 
In  a  little  while  Lincoln  came  riding  up  to  the 
party,  and  some  of  them  laughed  at  him,  and 
jokingly  remarked  that  he  must  be  tremendously 
interested  in  young  birds  to  waste  his  time  on 
them.  Lincoln  simply  answered, 
Lincoln's  Act  '  Gentlemen,  I  could  not  have 
slept  to-night  if  I  had  not  re- 
stored those  little  birds  to  their  nest  and  to  their 
mother.'  Children,  what  led  Lincoln  to  do  what 
he  did  and  to  say  what  he  said,  and  what  do 
you  think  of  his  conduct  and  his  words?  "  V/hich 
of  these  teachers  taught  the  lesson? 

About  two  years  ago,  in  conversation  with  a 
friend  on  a  question  of  religious  instruction  in 
the  public  schools,  he  said  that  in  his  judgment 
the  Bible  should  be  taught  to  every  child  in  the 
American  public  schools,  because  of  its  splendid 
moral  precepts  and  because  of  its  exquisite  Eng- 
lish, if  for  no  other  reasons.  As  we  were  dis- 
cussing this  matter  we  were  walking  into  the 
state  capitol  at  Springfield,  Illinois.    Before  en- 


PHASES  OK  rf:ligious  trainikg         257 

tering  the  door  wc  paused  to  say  a  word  about 
Lincoln  and  his  great  work  for  the  nation,  when 
my  friend  said,  "  Here,  under  the  shadows  of  this 
great  building,  I  want  to  tell  you  a  true  story 
concerning  Lincoln.     When  he  was  a  candidate 
for  Congress,  he  was  anxious  to  know  how  the 
ministers  would  vote.     He  asked  a  friend  to  find 
out.    His  friend  reported  that  the  ministers  were 
divided  on   the   question ;   some   would   vote   for 
him,   some    would    vote    against    him.      Lincoln 
quietly     drew     from     his     coat 
^ihe^Bibie"       Pocl<et  a  little  Bible,  and  hold- 
ing it  in  his  hand,  he  said,  '  If  I 
read  this  book  right,  every  .preacher  ought  to  be 
with  me  in  this  contest.'  "     The  story  illustrates 
the  point.     Put   the   concrete   material   into   the 
soul.     It  will   stir   there   emotional   elements   of 
tremendous  value  in  moving  the  will  to  action. 
In  the  next  place  conduct  should  be  regulated 
in  harmony  with  moral  ideas  and  the  sentiment 
of  duty.     The  training  of  the  judgment  is  im- 
portant ;  it  formulates  the  creed.     The  training 
of  the  will  is  more  important ;  it  formulates  con- 
duct and  builds  character.     A  pupil  should  un- 
derstand from  day  to  day  that 
*''^Conduct"'      ^^^^  things  he  does  are  either  in 
harmony    with    important    laws 
that  are  essential  to  his  well-being,  or  that  his 
conduct  is  in  violation  of  these  laws,  and  that  any 


258  THE   MAKING   OF  A  TEACHER 

violation  of  an  important  law  works  disaster  to 
the  offender.  So  important  has  this  law  become 
in  the  minds  of  thoughtful  men  that  they  have 
builded  around  it  a  doctrine  of  punishments  of 
far-reaching  significance.  The  best  statement  of 
this  doctrine  is  in  the  chapter  on  "  Moral  Edu- 
cation "  in  Herbert  Spencer's  "  Education."  Mr. 
Spencer  points  out  the  fact  that  punishment 
should  be  natural ;  in  other  words,  that  the  pun- 
ishment should  have  some  relation  to  the  offense 
committed.  He  calls  this  the  doctrine  of  natural 
consequences.  It  has  received  much  attention 
and  wide  acceptance.  Beyond  two  important 
limitations  I  wish  to  commend  it.  These  limita- 
tions, however,  are  vital  in  the  acceptance  of 
the  theory.    The  first  of  these  is  that  natural  law 

takes   no   note    of   motive.       It 
^"orpunishmrn'r  punishes  all  alike,— the   teacher 

should  not.  Some  pupils  do 
wrong  deliberately,  others  accidentally.  There 
should  be  a  very  marked  distinction  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  two  cases,  and  this  consideration  of 
motive  is  a  distinct  limitation  of  the  general 
doctrine  of  natural  consequences. 

The  second  of  these  limitations  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  business  of  the  teacher  is  to  anticipate 
wrong-doing  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  its 
commission.  It  is  not  the  function  of  the  re- 
ligious teacher  simply  to  punish  the  wrong-doer. 


PHASES    OF    RELIGIOUS    TRAINING  259 

He  must  wound  the  inclination  to  do  the  wrong 

thing.     He  must  make  wrong-doing  impossible 

.,,,,,        ,     to  the  extent  of  his  ability.    It  is 

Limitations  of  ■' 

Spencer's  this  ability  to  anticipate  trouble, 
Doctrine  ^j^^  power  to  forcsce  wrong 
tendencies,  that  makes  the  preventive  qualities  of 
moral  teaching  of  great  significance.  We  aim 
to  fit  the  child  when  he  is  a  child  to  overcome  the 
tendency  to  do  wrong  before  the  act  is  committed. 
We  should  aim,  by  appeals  to  his  feeling  as  well 
as  his  thought,  to  construct  a  system  of  moral 
and  religious  truth  within  which  his  soul  is  pro- 
tected from  wrong-doing.  It  should  be  the 
purpose  of  the  teacher  to  make  it  hard  for  the 
pupil  to  do  wrong.  For  that  reason  another 
important  matter  must  be  considered. 

The  soul  must  be  instructed  in  moral  ideals 
and  their  spiritual  significance.    The  child  needs 
to  be  led  to  an  understanding  of  what  a  moral 
ideal  is.    He  needs  also  to  be  shown  the  value  that 
comes  to  him  in  the  possession  of  such  ideals, 
and  he  needs  further  to  be  helped  in  applying 
the  moral  ideals  in  concrete  cases.   I  would  there- 
fore    commend     the     following 
Moral  Ideals       Order   in   presenting  moral  and 
relisfious   truth   to   the   mind   of 
the  pupil.     First,  the  story,  rich  in  concrete  de- 
tail, should  stir  the  emotional  life  of  the  child  to 
quicken  his  vision  and  intensify  his  appreciation. 


26o  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

Second,  in  order  to  heighten  the  effect  of  the 
story,  follow  it  with  poetical  selections  that  re- 
enforce  the  ideas  contained  in  the  story.  Third, 
further  intensify  the  story  by  the  singing  of  such 
songs  as  bear  directly  upon  the  incidents  of  the 
story,  and,  in  the  fourth  place,  building  out  of 
all  this  concrete  threefold,  presentative  knowl- 
edge, clear  judgments  in  the  form  of  maxims, 
principles,  rules,  law  of  conduct.  To  put  this 
into  a  sentence,  the  thought  is, — tell  it,  rhyme  it. 
sing  it,  formulate  it.  I  believe  the  day  will  come 
when  we  shall  study  the  four  things  which  are 
indicated,  and  group  our  materials  in  harmony 
with  this  classification.  Then  we  may  with  some 
degree  of  confidence  lay  our  nutritional  elements 
upon  the  soul,  confident  that  its  fruitage  in  con- 
duct will  surely  follow. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Why  should  the  mind  be  trained  to  form  correct 
judgments,  and  what  is  the  significance  of  this  in  re- 
ligious training? 

Make  a  list  of  what  you  consider  to  be  fundamental 
moral  qualities. 

Do  you  see  clearly  the  difference  between  a  decision 
by  the  judgment  and  a  decision  colored  by  feeling? 

Why  should  accidental  qualities  be  fully  set  aside  in 
forming  correct  judgments? 


PHASES    OF    RELIGIOUS    TRAINING  26 1 

What  is  your  opinion  of  John  at  9  A.  M.?  at  noon? 
at  430  P.  ^I-  ? 

Write  a  diary  of  a  day  in  some  boy's  life,  and  study  it 
in  the  manner  indicated  in  the  exercise  in  this  chapter? 

Why  should  the  story  end  with  an  appeal  to  judg- 
ment? 

Should  this  appeal  be  used  with  children  under  the 
age  of  ten  ? 

What  things  stand  opposed  to  clear  judgment? 

What  weakness  may  be  discerned  in  Sunday-school 
teaching  as  a  means  of  training  judgment? 

If  concrete  material  should  be  presented  first,  what 
should  it  lead  to? 

What  is  more  important  than  the  training  of  the  judg- 
ment ?     Why  ? 

Discuss  the  doctrine  of  natural  consequences,  and 
point  out  its  limitations. 

What  makes  a  moral  idea  spiritually  significant? 

In  what  way  do  the  rhyme  and  the  song  enforce  the 
story  ? 


XXII 

JESUS  THE  IDEAL  TEACHER 

T  T  SEEMS  fitting-  that  this  discussion  should 
inckide  the  presentation  of  some  of  the 
salient  characteristics  of  the  principles  and 
methods  of  teaching  used  by  Jesus.  In  its  last 
analysis  the  true  training  of  the  teacher  for  the 
Sunday-school  must  be  a  training  that  fits  him 
to  follow  in  some  degree  the  perfect  example 
of  the  greatest  teacher  that  ever  stirred  the 
heart  and  stimulated  the  mind  of  a  pupil.     In 

measuring    the    worth    of  any 
Example         tcacher    three    things    must    be 

considered  ;  ( i )  the  purpose  or 
end  which  the  teacher  aims  to  accomplish,  (2) 
the  equipment  of  the  teacher,  (3)  the  material 
employed  to  achieve  the  end. 

All  great  teachers  have  set  before  them  a 
definite  end.  This  end  is  the  goal  of  all  eflfort, 
and  when  the  pupil  attains  it,  it  is  his  good.  In 
what,  then,  may  this  good  be  said  to  consist? 
Buddha  makes  it  consist  in  the  complete  suppres- 
sion of  self.  Plato  makes  it  consist  in  the  vision 
of  eternal  ideas.  Aristotle  makes  it  consist  in  the 
exercise  of  man's  highest  faculty, — his  reason. 
262 


JESUS  THE  IDEAL  TEACHER       263 

Zeno  makes  it  consist  in  a  life  according  to  na- 
ture.   Epicurus  makes  it  consist  in  the  enjoyment 
of  calm,  abiding  pleasure.  Dante 
The  End  m        niakes  it  consist  in  the  vision  and 

Jesus   Teaching 

enjoyment  of  God.  Goethe  and 
others  make  it  consist  in  devotion  to  the  well- 
being  of  humanity.  Kant  makes  it  consist  in  a 
good  will.  Hegel  makes  it  consist  in  conscious 
freedom.  Others  make  it  consist  in  a  preparation 
for  complete  living,  while  still  others  define  it  as 
consisting  of  a  harmonious  development  of  all 
the  powers  of  the  soul.  Jesus  is  no  exception  to 
this  rule.  He  declared  that  the  end  of  the  edu- 
cation of  the  human  soul  is  to  fit  it  to  live  in  har- 
mony vvith  the  will  of  God.  This  will  of  the 
Father  is  to  be  realized  best  in  the  kingdom  which 
Jesus  established  on  earth,  and  which  he  so  fre- 
quently referred  to  as  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
The  whole  purpose  of  his  teaching  was  to  bring 
men  into  right  relations  with  the  divine  will,  to 
show  them  how  to  live  in  harmony  wath  the 
divine  power,  and  at  last  to  unite  them  with  the 
divine  personality.  Thus,  too,  he  anticipates  the 
best  statement  of  modern  pedagogy  by  demand- 
ing ideal  perfection, — perfection  after  God's 
standards, — as  the  end  of  education. 

What  was  the  equipment  of  Jesus  for  this  im- 
portant work  ?  We  have  only  a  few  glances  into 
the  rich  life  that  he  lived  to  the  age  of  thirty,  but 


264  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

all  of  these  are  significant,  and  indicate  that  he 
was  steadily  pursuing  a  definite  purpose  and 
fitting  himself  for  a  specific  service.  If  now  we 
consider  what  he  did  after  the  age  of  thirty,  we 
are  led  to  the  conclusion  that  all  these  earlier 
yea-rs  were  spent  in  study,  in  meditation,  in 
prayer,  in  direct  communion  with  the  Father, 
There  may  have  been  times  when  he  became  im- 
patient over  the  long  delay  of  the  time  when  he 
should  come  forth  and  teach.  If  this  were  the 
case,  we  have  no  hint  of  it  in  anything  that  he 

said  or  did.  On  the  contrary, 
Jesus'  Equipment  it   secms   reasonable   to   assume 

that  he  willingly  spent  thirty 
years  preparing  himself  to  teach  for  three  years. 
How  significant  this  is !  What  a  flood  of  light 
it  throws  upon  the  relative  significance  of  prepa- 
ration and  of  performance  of  life  service !  Most 
of  us  would  reverse  the  order,  and  undertake 
after  three  years  of  preparation  to  render  thirty 
years  of  service  to  mankind,  and  even  then  we 
would  demand  a  pension  for  the  remainder  of  our 
days  as  additional  compensation  for  our  three 
years  of  preparation  and  our  thirty  years  of  ser- 
vice. How  unlike  Jesus  this  would  be !  He  un- 
derstood what  all  of  us  must  come  to  understand 
more  fully,  that  we  must  pay  the  price  in  eflfort 
and  time  if  we  are  to  reach  the  point  where  we 
can  render  large  and  efficient  service  to  the  race. 


JESUS  THE  IDEAL  TEACHER        265 

Because  his  preparation  was  so  unusual  his 
teaching  Hkewisc  is  unusual.  He  was  never  con- 
fused in  a  controversy.  He  never  lacked  for 
methods  to  teach.  He  never  failed  to  grasp  the 
right  conditions  under  which  to  teach.  He  taught 
with  power  because  he  was  thoroughly  prepared 
to  teach. 

Usually,  when  we  come  to  measure  the  power 
of  a  teacher,  we  ask  ourselves,  what  equipment 
did  he  possess  ?  In  what  school  was  he  trained  ? 
What  courses  did  he  study?  What  special  lines 
of  research  did  he  pursue?  From  what  higher 
institution  of  learning  did  he  graduate  ?  In  what 
positions  did  he  teach?  and  other  kindred  ques- 
tions. How  little  Jesus  seems  to  care  for  any 
of  these !  Note  well  the  fact  that  nobody  has 
ever  applied  to  him  the  phrase — a  great  scholar. 
Knowledge  was  to  him  ,a  means,  not  an  end. 
Scholarship,  therefore,  was  not  a  final  interest  of 
his  life.  On  the  other  hand,  he  is  everywhere 
recognized  as  a  great  teacher,  who  used  his 
scholarship  not  to  make  others 

Things  He  Knew  learned,  but  to  tcach  others  how 
to  live.  He  evidently  read  many 
books.  He  was  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures.  He  quoted  from 
these  freely  and  at  will.  The  ability  to  do  this 
implies  long  years  of  faithful  study  in  the  quiet 
and  seclusion  of  his  home  at  Nazareth,  and  at 


266      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

intervals  in  his  carpenter-shop  or  on  the  bluff 
overlooking  the  plain  beyond.  He  filled  his  spirit 
with  the  rich  nutrition  of  the  words  of  God,  and 
his  soul  was  afire  with  all  the  inspired  sayings 
of  the  men  who,  in  days  before,  had  walked  close 
enough  to  God  to  catch  some  hint  of  his  majesty 
and  glory. 

He  opened  no  school.  He  announced  no  course 
of  study.  He  is  himself  the  great  university  of 
mankind.  Every  hungry  soul  becomes  his  pupil 
by  the  very  fact  of  its  hunger.  He  assigns  no 
limited  time  for  study,  but  re- 
^ini?e"uy*  ^^^^es  of  each  enlistment  for  life 
in  service  under  the  will  of  the 
Father.  He  puts  between  that  service  and  each 
one  of  us  no  extended  curriculum.  He  makes  it 
possible  for  the  humblest  and  the  weakest  to  be- 
gin at  once  and  to  continue  for  all  time  in  the 
service  of  the  Master.  He  does  not  discourage 
scholarship.  But  he  steadfastly  insists  that  what- 
ever our  gifts  and  attainments  may  be,  these  are 
only  agencies  to  be  used  in  a  life  of  service  to 
our  fellows  in  harmony  with  the  divine  will. 

As  to  his  method,  he  is  not  only  unique,  but  he 
is  supreme.  His  appeal  always  is  to  the  will  of 
his  pupils.  While  the  Greek  teacher  appealed  to 
the  reason,  and  the  Roman  teacher  to  the  emo- 
tional life,  Jesus  centered  his  appeal  upon  the 
will.    He  laid,  therefore,  upon  himself  the  most 


JESUS   THE    IDEAL   TEACHER  26/ 

exacting  test  that  any  teacher  could  possibly  as- 
sume. In  effect  he  said :  "  Judge  me  by  what  my 
pupils  do.     Measure  my  power 

""vviu  *  ^y  ^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^  "^y  disciples 
live.  Comprehend  my  purposes 
and  my  skill  and  my  ability  by  the  life  that  my 
followers  live."  How  many  of  us  are  willing  to 
be  judged  by  such  a  high  standard?  We  are 
generally  content  if  we  can  impart  intellectual 
gifts.  We  long  for  the  power  that  will  enable 
us  to  direct  the  conduct  of  our  pupils,  but  Jesus, 
with  an  insight  that  was  rare  and  refined,  under- 
stood the  supremely  significant  fact  that  high 
teaching  must  produce  high  action  in  the  learner. 

There  is  a  fine  illustration  of  this  in  the  closing 
part  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  Those  that 
hear  his  word  and  do  it  are  wise.  Those  that 
hear  his  word  and  do  it  not  are  foolish.  The 
whole  emphasis  rests  upon  the  conduct  of  the 
hearer.  Jesus,  therefore,  stands  out  as  the  one 
great  teacher  of  the  world  who  deliberately  set 
aside  every  other  purpose  and  concentrated  his 
efforts  in  the  production  of  Christian  character. 
In  order  to  give  strength  to  his  teaching  he  al- 
ways lived  in  harmony  with  the  will  of  God.  In 
the  very  last  trial,  when  his  soul  was  agonized, 
he  prayed :  "'  Not  my  will,  but  thine,  be  done." 

Here  then  is  our  problem.  To  teach  as  Jesus 
taught,  to  bring  every  human  will  into  harmony 


268  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

with  the  divine  will.    This  is  not  the  abridgment 
of  individual   power,   it   is   the   enlargement  of 

individual  power.      The    divine 
Our  Problem      will  is  SO  niuch  broader,  freer, 

saner  than  ours  that  when  we 
rise  into  harmony  with  it  we  rise  into  freedom ; 
truth  alone  makes  us  free. 

When  we  consider  how  high  a  standard  Jesus 
thus  set  for  his  own  attainment  one  begins  to 
realize  how  perfectly  competent  he  must  have 
been  to  do  the  thing  which  he  undertook  to  do. 
And  when  he  reinforces  this  by  his  own  splendid 
example,  his  power  as  a  teacher  lifts  him  above 
all  competitors,  and  entitles  him  to  be  considered 
the  ideal  teacher.  A  striking  example  of  this  is 
found  in  Matthew  ii.  We  have  here  a  scene 
in  which  Jesus  figures  with  unusual  suggestive- 
ness.  As  he  stands  somewhere  in  the  midst  of 
the  multitude  teaching,  there  is  a  commotion  in 
his  audience.    Two  men  are  seen  to  push  through 

the  crowd  and  hastily  make  their 
johS.:S.es    way  directly  to  him.     All  eyes 

are  turned  for  the  moment  upon 
this  apparent  intrusion.  The  discourse  is  inter- 
rupted, and  Jesus  turns  his  attention  to  these 
two  men.  They  tell  him  that  they  have  come 
from  John,  that  John  is  in  prison,  and  that  his 
heart  is  heavy  with  the  burden  of  suffering  im- 
posed upon  him,   that  he   is   willing  to  endure 


JESUS  THE  IDEAL  TEACHER        269 

provided  only  that  lie  is  sure  he  is  right,  and  to 
confirm  him  John  sends  these  two  to  ask  Jesus, 
"Art  thou  he  that  cometh,  or  look  we  for  an- 
other?" Study  the  conditions. — the  interrupted 
discourse,  the  multitude  curious  to  know  what 
would  happen,  the  two  messengers  waiting  for 
the  word  that  John's  soul  craved  to  receive,  the 
teacher  no  douht  anxious  to  continue  the  dis- 
course to  the  multitude.  What,  under  these  cir- 
cumstances, is  the  wise  thing  to  do?  How^  shall 
John  be  satisfied,  the  multitude  taught,  and  Jesus 
vindicated?  An  impatient  teacher  might  have 
said,  "  Step  aside,  I  will  see  you  later.  You  must 
not  interrupt  me  now."  The  ordinary  teacher 
m.ight  have  said,  "  Tell  John  it  is  all  right,  he 
shall  not  worry,  I  am  the  Christ."  But  the  great 
teacher  understood  that  now  is  the  time,  and 
here  is  the  opportunity,  to  impress  a  great  truth. 
He  sent  back  no  word  to  John,  but  said,  "Go 
and  tell  John  the  things  which  ye  hear  and  see : 
the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and 

cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  and 
tlie  dead  are  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  good 
tidings  preached  to  them."  See  the  significance 
of  this  reply.  Answer  John  by  telling  him  what 
you  see  me  do.  Let  John  judge  me  not  by  what 
I  say,  but  by  what  I  do.  Here  is  a  teacher  that 
points  to  a  record  of  service,  of  large  gifts  of 


2/0      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

help  and  hope  and  healing,  and  says,  in  effect, 
let  my  record  be  my  answer. 

They  tell  the  story  of  Giotto,  the  Florentine 
artist,  that  one  day  Pope  Boniface  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  Giotto  informing  him  that  the  Pope 
wished  some  frescoes  painted  on  the  walls  of  St. 
Peter's,  and  that  the  different  artists,  including 
himself,  were  to  submit  samples  of  their  work. 
Giotto  seized  a  brush,  dipped  it  into  red  paint, 
and  with  one  sweep  of  his  hand 
Giotto's  Example  drew  a  perfect  circle  on  the  can- 
vas, and  handed  this  to  the  mes- 
senger, saying,  "  Here  is  my  drawing."  The 
messenger  in  amazement  said,  "Am  I  not  to  have 
anything  more  than  this  ? "  The  artist  replied, 
"  That  is  enough  and  to  spare."  The  Pope, 
pleased  with  this  superb  but  simple  expression  of 
ability,  immediately  called  on  Giotto  to  perform 
the  work. 

So  it  seems  to  me  that  when  John's  disciples 
came  to  Jesus,  instead  of  sending  testimonials 
and  recommendations  and  declarations  of  what 
he  was,  Jesus,  with  the  superb  skill  of  a  great 
teacher,  sent  back  the  disciples  to  John  simply 
with  the  evidence  of  things  done.  But  the  inci- 
dent is  not  closed.  What  of  the  multitude  that 
heard  and  saw  all  this?  Jesus  turns  to  them, 
and  with  three  questions  of  tremendous  signi- 
ficance and  power  shows  them  that  this  John  who 


JESUS   THE    IDEAL   TEACHER  2/1 

is  now  in  prison  was  the  power  under  God  that 
drew  them  out  of  the  city  into  the  wilderness. 
And  then,  with  a  loyalty  and  a  devotion  that 
beggar  all  description,  Jesus  stood  before  the 
multitude  and  announced  his  allegiance  to  John. 
John  is  in  prison ;  he  is  waiting  the  day  of  his 
death ;  he  seems  to  be  shorn  of  all  his  power ; 
his  influence  seems  to  be  gone,  and  but  one  act 
remains  in  the  tragedy  of  his  career ;  and  yet 
Jesus  stood  up  for  him  with  a  courage  and  a 
conviction  that  challenges  the  admiration  of  every 
honest  spirit.  What  of  this  John  who,  by  false 
process,  is  condemned  to  prison  and  to  death? 
"  Verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Among 
Loyalty  to  a      ^-^gj^-,   |-|-,at   are  born   of  women 

Friend 

there  hath  not  arisen  a  greater 
than  John  the  Baptist ;  "  and  yet  to  this  motley 
multitude  Jesus  is  a  messenger  of  hope  and  of 
help.  Least  of  all  those  that  step  out  of  the  king- 
dom of  sin  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater 
than  John.  There  is  not  in  all  literature  an  illus- 
tration of  an  interruption  of  a  great  teacher 
handled  with  such  consummate  skill  as  this.  And 
in  the  night,  when  you  sit  alone  pondering  over 
the  source  of  power,  of  strength,  and  of  guid- 
ance in  your  work  as  a  teacher,  call  up  this 
splendid  scene  time  and  time  again  until  some- 
thing of  its  majesty  and  of  its  worth  becomes  the 
possession  of  your  own  spirit. 


272  T}IE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

Questions   and   Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Why  is  a  study  of  the  teaching  processes  of  Jesus  of 
greater  significance  than  a  study  of  the  teaching  pro- 
cesses of  Plato  or  Quintilian  or  Varro  or  Aristotle? 

What  do  you  conceive  to  be  the  end  of  the  education 
of  a  soul? 

Criticise  the  different  ends  set  forth  by  the  various 
authorities  cited. 

Why  must  one  have  an  end  in  view  in  order  to  teach 
well? 

Do  you  think  Jesus  ever  attended  school  with  other 
youths?  If  so,  what  sort  of  a  pupil  do  yoiu  conceive 
him  to  have  been  ? 

How  much  time  did  Jesus  give  to  his  preparation  for 
teaching?     How  much  are  you  willing  to  give? 

What  are  the  entrance  requirements  to  the  school  of 
Jesus? 

What  importance  attaches  to  the  will  as  the  soul  power 
to  be  trained  ? 

What  test  did  he  impose  upon  himself  as  a  teacher? 

Why  is  he  called  a  great  teacher  rather  than  a  great 
scholar? 

To  live  under  the  divine  will  is  to  live  under  restric- 
tions.   Is  this  true? 


XXIII 

EDUCATIONAL    PRINCIPLES    USED    BY 
JESUS 

TTPON  the  laws  of  the  soul  rest  the  laws  of 
^^  teaching.  We  are  limited  in  our  teaching 
processes  by  the  possibilities  of  development  that 
God  has  set  in  each  soul.  To  know  these  limits 
is  the  first  problem.  These  limits  we  have  con- 
sidered. What  guidance  may  we  now  formulate 
in  harmony   with   the   facts   already   set    forth? 

When    we    have    answered    this 
The  Question       question  we  ought  to  know  both 

how  and  why  we  teach.  The 
mastery  of  educational  law  is  not  complete  until 
it  influences  potentially  our  actual  processes.  The 
aim,  then,  is  to  help  you  to  teach  better  than  you 
now  do, — to  teach  more  nearly  as  did  Jesus. 

We  can  give  only  what  we  have.  "  Bring  your 
health  and  your  strength  to  the  weak  and  sickly, 
and  so  you  will  be  of  use  to  them.     Give  them 

not     your    weakness,    but    your 
The  Answer       energy, — so  you  will  revive  and 

lift  them  up.  Life  alone  can  re- 
kindle life.  What  others  claim  from  us  is  not 
our  thirst  and  our  hunger,  but  our  bread  and  our 

273 


274      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

gourd."  Initial  energy  is  always  lessened  by  use. 
We  never  teach  quite  all  we  are  capable  of  teach- 
ing. Our  equipment  must  exceed  our  pupils' 
needs.  There  is  an  appreciable  loss  in  its  use. 
Be  sure  you  know  more  about  your  lessons  than 
your  pupils  can  use.  Better  be  over-stocked  than 
under-stocked  with  materials  and  powers  of  in- 
struction. In  its  last  analysis,  is  it  not  true  that 
power  to  teach  is  measurable  only  in  quality  of 
soul  ?  It  is  not  what  we  take  on  from  others,  but 
what  we  actually  are  as  the  result  of  our  own 
activities,  that  best  equips  us  to  teach.  Pay  the 
price  of  power.  Put  yourself  daily  to  the  test. 
Keep  some  great  problem  constantly  before  you. 
We  grow  slowly  but  surely  into  the  quality  of 
soul  we  most  steadfastly  strive  to  secure.  Chal- 
lenge things.  Interrogate  things.  Dean  John 
Donne  was  accustomed  to  say,  "  Naturally  I 
doubt  and  stick,  and  do  not  say  quickly,  good.  I 
censure  much  and  tax." 

There  is  nothing  quite  so  hopeless  as  a  putty- 
and-paste  mind.  To  be  passively  receptive  is  to 
be  useless.  Hence  I  urge  the  constant  exercise 
of  your  soul's  powers  upon  important  themes. 
Its  growth  is  conditioned  by  its  legitimate  use. 
In  John  4  :3i  the  disciples  say,  "Master,  eat." 
They  were  justified  in  saying  this  because  the 
disciples  had  gone  up  into  the  city  to  buy  meat. 
Jesus    had   remained  at    the    well    because    he 


EDUCATIOXAL  PRINCIPLES  USED  BY  JESUS  2/5 

was  weary,  and  no  doubt,  as  they  thought,  hun- 
gry. Did  Jesus  eat  of  the  food  which  the  dis- 
ciples brought  from  the  city? 
Soul  Activity  Auswcr  the  question  instantly, 
Yes  or  No,  then  turn  to  the 
narrative  itself  and  ascertain  whether  your  an- 
swer is  correct.  Have  you  in  the  narrative  all 
the  facts  necessary  to  form  a  proper  conclusion, 
— a  satisfactory  conclusion?  We  have  no  war- 
rant whatever  in  attempting  to  compel  children 
to  form  conclusions  without  first  having  the 
facts,  and  enough  of  the  facts,  to  justify  the  con- 
clusion. If  we  cannot  give  or  direct  the  pupil  to  get 
the  facts,  we  should  not  expect  a  conclusion.  The 
powers  of  the  soul  cannot  operate  upon  nothing. 
They  deal  with  materials  that  are  as  real  to  them 
as  marbles  and  tops  and  dolls  are  to  children. 

Reason  moves  in  two  directions.    It  may  start 
with  individual  or  particular  notions,  and  arrive 
at  general  or  universal  notions,  broadening  its 
range  of  knowledge  at  every  step  in  this  advance, 
oi  it  may  reverse  this  process.    These  two  forms 
of  reason   are   called    induction   and    deduction. 
We  reason  inductively  when  we 
'"Deduction""      ^tart  with  a  particular  or  indi- 
vidual notion  and  arrive  at  last 
at  a  general  or  universal  notion.    We  reason  de- 
ductively when  we  proceed  in  a  reverse  order. 
Most  of  the  teaching  of  Jesus  is  inductive.    He 


2/6       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

states  a  concrete  fact  that  falls  within  the  ex- 
perience of  his  hearers,  and  then  leads  them  to 
the  general  or  universal  notion  with  which  it  is 
related.  There  is  another  activity  here  that  the 
teacher  needs  to  keep  in  mind.  A  general  notion 
may  be  given,  and  then  separated  into  its  essen- 
tial attributes  or  marks,  in  which  case  the  pro- 
cess is  analytic,  or  it  may  start  with  a  concrete, 
specific  notion,  and,  gathering  others  to  it,  arrive 
at  last  at  the  general  notion.     This  process  is 

synthetic.  I  would  advise  you 
""sSsts""      to   turn   to   any   good   book  on 

teaching,  and  make  a  study  of 
these  four  forms  of  reasoning, — analytic,  syn- 
thetic, inductive,  and  deductive.  When  we  dis- 
regard these  methods  of  teaching  we  become 
dogmatic,  by  which  one  is  to  understand  that 
we  force  the  child  to  accept  conclusions  which 
he  does  not  yet  understand.  This  dogmatic  ma- 
terial is  so  much  unassimilated  matter  in  the 
mind.  The  memory  is  stuffed  with  it.  It  is  life- 
less. It  does  not  energize  conduct.  It  affords  no 
insight.  It  has  no  effect  upon  character.  The 
consequence  is  that  after  a  while  the  child,  from 
some  other  source,  gets  an  inkling  into  the  right 
method  of  dealing  with  truth,  and  then  in  a  fit 
of  despair  he  rejects  all  this  dogmatic  material, 
and  as  a  result  comes  to  discredit  a  most  im- 
portant religious  guidance. 


EDUCATIONAL  PRINXIPLES  USED  BY  JESUS  2'J'J 

You  will  not  read  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  Mat- 
thew, "Ye  have  heard  it  hath  been  said,"  but  "  I 
say."  You  will  read  the  plain,  direct  statement 
of  a  far-seeing  and  wise  Guide  who  knew.  Hav- 
ing disabused  the  minds  of  his  disciples  of  any 

doubt  concerning  his  relation  to 
"I  Say"         the  law,  Jesus  turns  to  teach  the 

things  that  are  worth  while,  and, 
in  doing  that,  he  takes  up  three  matters. 

The  first  is  in  the  first  verse,  "  Your  alms ;  " 
the  second  one  is  in  the  fifth  verse,  "  When  thou 
prayest ;  "  the  third  one  is  found  in  the  sixteenth 

verse,  "  Moreover  when  ye  fast." 
What  He  Says      I    Undertake    to   point   out   part 

of  the  significance  of  these  three. 
Let  us,  as  we  read  from  this  sixth  chapter,  see 
clearly  what  Jesus  visions  before  him.  He  is 
thinking  of  people  such  as  we  are,  living  just  as 
we  are  living,  surrounded  just  as  we  are  sur- 
rounded with  social  and  other  environments.  He 
is  thinking  of  his  disciples  just  as  common  folk, 
living  simple  lives,  in  ordinary  circumstances. 
There  is  no  great,  marvelous  mystery  here  at  all, 
but  a  direct  guidance  for  the  multitude  of  people 
in  their  every-day  afifairs. 

He  does  not  say  that  we  are  not  to  "  give  our 
•  alms."  He  assumes  that  we  will.  He  takes  that 
for  granted,  and  tells  us  how  to  do  the  thing  that 
we  are  going  to  do  anyhow.     He  does  not  say 


2/8      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

pray,  but  he  says,  "  When  thou  prayest."  He 
assumes  that  you  will  pray.  He  tells  you  how  to 
do  it.  He  does  not  say  that  "  you  shall  fast," 
but  *'  when  ye  fast."     He  assumes  that  you  will 

do  it.     He  is  trying  to  tell  you 
He  Tells  How      how.    Oh,  see  the  power  of  that ! 

He  takes  you  as  you  are  in  the 
plain  performance  of  simple  duty,  accepts  your 
acts  as  you  are  accustomed  to  doing  them.  He 
tells  you  how  to  guide  your  life  as  you  never 
knew  for  yourself,  and  as  you  never  would  know 
if  he  had  not  spoken.  Consider  these  three ;  this 
almsgiving^  this  praying,  this  fasting.  Why  does 
he  not  put  some  of  the  other  things  that  concern 
people  here?  He  says:  "Consider  your  alms- 
giving, so  that  you  do  that  in  the  right  way ; " 
"Consider  your  praying,  so  that  you  do  that  in 
the  right  way;  "  "  Consider  your  fasting,  so  that 
you  do  that  in  the  right  way."  Then  he  is  done. 
Why  done?  Because  your  alms-giving  repre- 
sents your  relation  to  your  fellow-men ;  your 
praying  represents  your  relation  to  God  himself; 
and  your  fasting  represents  your  relation  to  your 
own  self.  My  neighbor,  my  God,  myself, — there 
is  no  more !  How  shall  I  treat  my  neighbor,  my 
God,  myself?  There  is  no  more  to  be  asked. 
Human  destiny  comprehended  and  epitomized  in 
one  sentence !    What  a  teacher  he  was ! 

Jesus  seeks  always  to  put  the  largest  possible 


EDUCATIONAL  PRINCIPLES  USED  BY  JKSUS  279 

meaning  in  the   fewest   words.     In  doing  this, 
one    must    avoid    the    danger    of    generahzing 
the  statement  to  such  an  extent  as  to  render  it 
practically  useless.    There  must  always  be  in  the 
statement  something  which  the  mind  can  grasp, 
and  around  which  it  can  group  many  other  re- 
lated  facts.     Simple  elimination 
A  Caution         is  not  concentration.  It  does  not 
do  to  say  one  of  twenty  things 
with  the  thought  that  because  you  are  brief  you 
are  therefore  successful.     The  thing  to  do  is  to 
catch  some  general  statement  which  visions  the 
whole  field  of  related  thought. 

Good  teaching  is  generous  giving.    No  one  can 
teach  well  who  is  not  perfectly  willing  to  devote 
his  best  energies  and  all  his  energies  to  the  work. 
I  see  so  much  listless,  careless,  half-hearted,  in- 
different teaching  that  I  some- 
Teaching^is       times  wish  I  had  the  power  to 
regenerate    the    spirit    of    some 
teachers.     They  ought  to  be  taken  and  shaken 
and  awakened  to  a  realization  of  their  true  obli- 
gations   and    opportunities.      We    cannot    teach 
without  giving  something  of  our  own  vital  en- 
ergy to  the  process.     No  great  power  will  come 
to  the  learner  unless  there  is  the  giving  of  power 
by  the  teacher. 

One  day  in  the  thick  of  the  multitude,  as  Jesus 
stood  teaching,  a  woman  pushed  her  way  through 


280  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

the  crowd  to  the  Master.  She  was  an  invahd. 
She  had  suffered  for  years.  To  her  hfe  was  a 
sorry  burden,  but  to  her  Hfe  was  sweet,  and  to 
feel  its  full,  rich  thrill  in  every  tissue  of  her 
body  was  the  dream  and  hope  of  her  spirit.  She 
believed  that  Jesus  could  help  her.  Without  ask- 
ing permission,  and  without  regarding  the  cu- 
rious eyes  of  the  multitude,  she 
An  illustration  thrust  forth  her  hand  and 
touched  the  hem  of  his  garment. 
It  was  enough.  She  was,  in  answer  to  her  faith, 
what  she  longed  to  be.  The  Teacher,  turning, 
said,  "  Who  touched  me?  "  and  the  curious  mul- 
titude, in  surprise,  asked,  "  How  do  you  know 
that  you  were  touched  ?  "  How  little  they  un- 
derstood the  secret  power  of  the  Great  Teacher. 
The  Master  knew  because,  as  he  said,  "  I  per- 
ceived that  virtue  had  gone  out  of  me."  Here  his 
teaching  is  the  test.  What  the  pupil  gains  you 
lose.  What  the  pupil  gets  you  give.  What  the 
pupil  becomes  you  must  be.  The  touch  of  the 
hungry  heart  and  the  thirsty  spirit  gives  comfort, 
healing,  health,  to  the  learner,  only  when  the 
spirit  of  the  teacher  overflows  with  these  gener- 
ous endowments. 

When  I  was  a  teacher  in  a  country  school,  I 
endeavored  to  do  my  work  in  harmony  with  the 
best  light  I  had.  Sixty-seven  pupils  touched  me 
every  hour  of  the  day,  and  in  the  evening  when 


EDUCATIONAL  PRINCIPLES  USED  BY  JESUS  28  I 

I  took  my  dinner-pail  in  hand  to  return  to  my 
home  a  mile  away,  I  felt  the  exhaustion  of  the 
day's  work.  There  were  times  when  I  could 
have  thrown  myself  in  a  fence-corner  on  the 
roadside,  and  counted  it  sweet  rest.  It  costs  some- 
thing to  do  something,  but  there 
^'"  ^.         is  a  blessed  compensation.     He 

Compensation  ^ 

giveth  his  beloved  sleep,  and  in 
the  hours  of  recuperation  he  gives  back  not  only 
what  he  gave  to  his  children,  but  more ;  for  he 
comes  not  with  a  measure  of  justice,  but  with  a 
measure  of  love.  And  so  we  return  to  the  work 
day  after  day,  renewed  in  spirit,  enriched  in  soul, 
because  we  have  worked  for  him. 

In  the  life  of  Pestalozzi  one  has  a  striking  ex- 
ample of  the  influence  of  a  great  purpose  and  the 
results  of  a  great  love  for  children.     When  he 
gathered  his  orphan  children  at  Stanz,  and  de- 
voted his  whole  life  to  their  welfare,  he  made 
report  of  his  work  to  a  friend  in  a  letter  contain- 
ing the  following  words :    ''  First  of  all  I  had  to 
arouse  in  my  pupils  pure,  moral, 
^* stanz'  "       ^^^  noble  feelings,  so  that  after- 
wards,    in     external     things,     I 
might  be  sure  of  their  ready  attention,  activity, 
and  obedience.     I  had,  in  short,  to   follow  the 
high  precepts  of  Jesus  Christ,  '  Cleanse  first  that 
which  is  within,  that  the  outside  may  be  clean 
also ; '  and  if  ever  the  truth  of  this  precept  was 


282  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

made  manifest,  it  was  made  manifest  then."  Un- 
der the  influence  of  this  noble  impulse  Pestalozzi 
spent  his  days  and  his  nights  in  perfecting  a  sys- 
tem of  education  which  touched  not  only  the  little 
group  whom  he  educated,  but  touched  all  Europe. 
When  his  master  production  came  to  the  hands 
of  Queen  Louisa  of  Prussia  she  recorded  in  her 
private  diary :  "  I  am  reading  Leonard  and  Ger- 
trude, and  enjoy  transporting  myself  to  this 
Swiss  village.  If  I  were  my  own  mistress  I  should 
at  once  go  to  Switzerland  and 

Queen  Louisa        see    PcStalozzi.        Would     that     I 

could  take  his  hand,  and  that  he 
might  read  my  gratitude  in  my  eyes.  With  what 
kindness  and  ardor  he  works  for  the  good  of  his 
fellow-men.  Yes,  in  the  name  of  humanity,  I 
thank  him  with  my  whole  heart." 

This  queenly  woman  never  saw  the  great  edu- 
cator. He  had  no  time  to  visit  royalty.  He  spent 
his  days  teaching  children  whom  the  ravages  of 
war  had  left  homeless  and  parentless.  He  spent 
his  evenings  begging  food  to  nourish  their  bodies. 
He  spent  his  nights  while  they  slept  patching  their 
tattered  garments  and  washing  their  single  bits 
of  clothing.  He  did  all  this  because  he  learned 
from  the  Master  what  it  meant  to  love  children. 
He  won  the  proud  distinction  of  living  like  a 
beggar  that  he  might  teach  beggars  to  live  like 
men.    Over  his  grave  in  the  little  village  of  Birr, 


EDUCATIONAL  PRINCIPLES  USED  BY  JESUS  283 

near  the  site  of  his  first  educational  experiment, 
and  over  his  sleeping  remains,  is  placed  a  monu- 
ment in  harmony  with  his  own  wish,  "  a  rough, 
unhewn  stone,  such  as  I  myself  have  always 
been."  His  grateful  countrymen  inserted  on  the 
tablet  the  following  tribute  to  his 

A  Grateful  ,  1         .i  o       •  r     ^i 

Tribute  great    work:       baviour    of    the 

poor  at  Neuhof,  at  Stanz  the 
father  of  orphans,  at  Burgdorf  and  Munchen- 
buchsee  founder  of  the  popular  school,  at 
Yverdun  the  educator  of  humanity ;  man.  Chris- 
tian, and  citizen.  All  for  others,  nothing  for  him- 
self.   Peace  to  his  ashes. 

To  our  Father  Pestalozzi 
Grateful  Aargau." 

This  is  an  example  of  what  teachers  may  do 
when  they  understand  their  exalted  privileges,  and 
work  in  harmony  with  their  divine  prototype. 

In  the  early  years  children  need  a  great  deal  of 
specific  guidance,  of  directive  activity,  of  au- 
thoritative expression.  When  this  authority  is 
once  expressed,  see  to  it  that  the  act  of  the  child 

conforms   thereto.     You   defeat 
''s^K.CoXr     the   very  best    things    you    are 

trying  to  accomplish  if  you  do 
not  do  this.  In  the  later  years  of  the  child's  life 
in  the  Sunday-school  he  is  to  do  more  of  these 
things  for  himself.     Control  by  the  teacher  will 


284       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

gradually  yield  to  self-control.  Do  not  undertake 
to  treat  boys  of  sixteen  as  you  would  treat  boys 
of  six.  You  should  expect  different  and  better 
things  of  the  older  pupils,  and  you  make  a  great 
mistake  if  you  do  not  recognize  the  fact  that  these 
young  people  have  learned  to  do  some  things  tor 
themselves.  Give  them  the  responsibility.  Elx- 
pect  of  them  the  results.  Recognize  what  they 
have  achieved  in  the  years  of  their  unfolding. 
Meet  them  where  they  are.  Teach  them  in  har- 
mony with  their  capability. 

Jesus  understood  the  importance  of  making 
teaching  an  exchange  of  opinions.  He  encour- 
aged his  hearers  to  speak;  gave  due  considera- 
tion to  what  they  said.  He  never  rebuked  them 
for  expressing  their  understanding  of  thought, 
or  for  asking  questions  to  gain  clearer  knowl- 
edge. I  think  of  him  as  he  sat  with  little  groups  of 

people,  engaged  in  quiet  conver- 
^**  ^Taik"*"'^      sation,  listening  to  their  remarks, 

answering  their  questions,  put- 
ting them  perfectly  at  their  ease,  but  waiting 
for  the  right  moment  to  crystallize  the  whole  dis- 
cussion into  some  great  guidance.  How  far  we 
are  from  the  mark  when  we  take  all  the  time 
of  the  recitation  to  tell  the  children  what  we 
know  and  what  we  think !  How  much  better  it 
is  to  place  the  recitation  on  a  conversational 
plane !    In  this  way  the  pupil  is  part  of  the  pro- 


EDUCATIONAL  PRINCIPLES  USED  BY  JESUS  285 

cess  by  which  he  is  taught.  He  enters  into  the 
whole  activity  through  which  he  builds  his  spirit 
into  greater  power  and  clearer  thought. 

Be  always  yourself  in  the  presence  of  your 
class.  Do  not  undertake  to  play  a  part.  Avoid 
all  affectation  and  unnatural  and  forced  attitudes 
of  mind  and  of  body.  Children  soon  find  out 
any  element  of  insincerity  in  the  make-up  of  the 
teacher.  Avoid  unnatural  and  harsh  and  high- 
pitched  tones  of  voice.  Sometimes  teachers  yell 
at  their  pupils.     They  think   that   intensity  and 

earnestness  are  expressed  by  in- 
Be  Natural        creased  pitch  of  voice.  Nothing 

quite  so  much  upsets  a  class  and 
breaks  in  upon  the  serenity  of  the  thought  and 
interferes  with  the  purpose  of  the  recitation  as  a 
teacher  whose  voice  is  out  of  harmony  with  the 
situation. 

I  recall  now  a  teacher  who  taught  with  such 
a  high  and  unnatural  voice  that  the  children  were 
in  a  constant  state  of  nervous  excitement  border- 
ing on  frenzy.  I  speak  strictly  within  the  truth 
when  I  say  that  as  I  approached  the  room  where 
this  teacher  taught  I  heard  his  voice  far  out  on 

the    campus.      I    recall    another 
Poor  Teaching     teacher  who  had  this  same  habit. 

One  day  a  friend  called  him 
from  the  class-room  and  said,  "  My  dear  friend, 
I  have  just   had  a  telephone   message   from   a 


286       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

gentleman  six  miles  away,  saying  that  his  wife 
was  ill,  and  begging  me  to  request  you  to  speak 
to  your  class  in  a  little  lower  tone,  in  order  not 
to  disturb  her !  "  He  saw  the  point.  He  laughed, 
but  he  did  not  need  that  suggestion  again. 

Sometimes  we  talk  too  rapidly.  Our  words 
run  together  like  the  streakings  of  falling  stars 
across  the  sky.  The  result  in  the  mind  of  the 
child  is  confusing.  If  the  things  you  say  are 
worth  anything  to  the  child, — and  they  ought  to 
be, — time  yourself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give 
force  and  purpose  to  your  teaching.  The  most 
impressive  prayer  I  ever  heard  was  spoken  most 
deliberately.  It  seemed  as  if  every  word  was 
pointed  and  purposeful.     It  burned  in  conscious- 

o-w  c-     *  *  «     ness  like  a  star  in  the  darkness 

The  Fine  Art  of 

Knowing         of    the    night.      There    was    an 
""^  ominous   pause,   as   if   somehow 

each  word  had  been  sent  on  a  long  voyage,  and 
we  were  waiting  for  the  signal  from  the  other 
side  before  another  was  launched.  When  the 
prayer  was  ended  it  seemed  as  if  we  could  not  lift 
our  heads  and  open  our  eyes  until  we  felt  the 
echo  of  the  Amen  straight  from  the  throne.  Do 
we  realize  how  much  of  all  that  is  powerful  in 
the  things  that  we  do  depends  on  the  way  we 
do  them?  Let  us  fashion  our  way  after  the  man- 
ner of  our  great  Example.  Let  us  endeavor,  so 
far  as  in  us  lies,  to  teach  as  Jesus  taught. 


EDUCATIONAL  PRINCIPLES  USED  BY  JESUS  28/ 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

When  may  an  educational  law  be  said  to  be  honored 
by  the  teacher? 

Can  we  give  to  the  child  what  we  do  not  possess  as 
teachers  ? 

What  important  conclusions  do  you  draw  from  your 
answer  to  this  question? 

Should  the  teacher  know  more  than  the  pupil  is  to 
receive  ?    Why  ? 

Is  it  important  that  a  teacher  should  be  constantly 
learning? 

Why  should  a  pupil  be  given  the  facts  before  he  is 
asked  to  formulate  a  judgment? 

What  two  prominent  forms  of  reasoned  activity  should 
the  teacher  understand? 

Did  Jesus  teach  inductively  or  deductively?  Prove 
your  answer. 

What  is  the  real  difference  between  analytic  teaching 
and  synthetic  teaching? 

What  danger  grows  out  of  undertaking  to  put  too 
many  things  into  a  few  words? 

Explain  the  statement — "Good  teaching  is  generous 
giving." 

What  did  Pestalozzi  give  to  his  pupils?  What  did 
Jesus  give?     What  are  you  giving? 

What  is  the  value  of  the  interchange  of  thought  be- 
tween teacher  and  pupil? 

What  significance  attaches  to  the  tone  of  the  voice  in 
teaching? 

Formulate  a  brief  outline  of  educational  guidance  from 
the  statements  made  in  this  chapter. 


XXIV 
EDUCATIONAL  METHODS  USED  BY  JESUS 

JESUS  taught  with  infinite  patience.  He  never 
was  in  a  hurry.  He  had  no  time  to  be  in  a 
hurry,  but  he  always  had  time  to  do  a  thing  that 
should  be  done.  Here  is  an  example  worth  much 
to  every  teacher.  How  hard  it  is  for  us  to  under- 
stand that  our  best  teaching  is  not  always  pos- 
sible; that  conditions  determine  results.     A  wise 

„     .,^.       ,        teacher  will  always  labor  to  pre- 
conditions In  . 

Class  and         dispose  the  learner  to  receive  the 
Results  ^gg^  instruction.      In   the   entire 

round  of  the  recitation   there  may  be  but   one 
minute   when   all   the   conditions   make   possible 
fine  teaching.     It  is  the  business  of  the  teacher 
to  mold  the  conditions  and  bring  to  pass  this 
sublime  moment  and  then  teach  as  Jesus  taught. 
At  the  opening  of  Matthew  5,  we  have  a  strik- 
ing illustration  of  the  deliberate  quality  of  this 
teacher.     He  sees  the  multitude.     He  then  goes 
up  into  a  mountain.  Then  he  sat 
No  Haste  In         ^^  ^^^^^    ^f^^^.    ^^^^    j^is    dis- 

Teaching  ' 

ciples   came   unto   him,   and   he 
opened  his  mouth  and  spoke  unto  them.  Notice 
with  what  deliberation  he  predisposes  the  disciples 
288 


EDUCATIONAL  METHODS  USED  BY  JESUS     289 

to  receive  this  great  message.  There  is  no  sign  of 
haste.  There  is  no  evidence  of  impatience.  There 
is  no  attempt  to  hurry  the  conditions,  but,  with  a 
masterful  control  of  himself,  he  predisposes  the 
conditions  for  favorable  teaching.  I  have  no 
doubt  his  sayings  went  all  the  more  deeply  into 
the  conscience,  and  fastened  themselves  more 
securely  within  the  soul  of  the  disciples,  because 
of  this  deliberate  treatment  of  them.  In  a  pre- 
ceding chapter  I  called  attention  to  this  same 
quality  when  Jesus  was  at  the  Feast  of  the  Taber- 
nacles in  Jerusalem,  It  will  amply  reward  you 
to  go  through  the  Gospels  and  make  a  personal 
study  of  this  same  quality  as  it  appears  again 
and  again  in  his  teaching. 

Another  quality  in  the  teaching  of  Jesus  that 
stands  out  with  marvelous  clearness  is  his  treat- 
ment of  common  things  to  figure  the  mysteries  of 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.    We  have  an  educational 

law  of  great  value  which  may  be 
ThinM"""     formulated  in  some  such  way  as 

this :  In  teaching  proceed  from 
the  simple  to  the  complex,  from  the  concrete  to 
the  abstract,  from  the  individual  to  the  universal. 
This  law  was  never  better  honored  or  more  stead- 
fastly adhered  to  by  any  great  teacher  than  by 
Jesus.  It  was  his  definite  purpose  to  bring  plainly 
to  the  understanding  of  his  disciples  and  the  mul- 
titude the  significance  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 


290      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

With  what  fine  skill  he  linked  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  with  all  the  common  objects  in  the  every- 
day life  of  his  hearers.  It  seems  as  if  everything 
that  God  had  set  in  his  universe  became  with  this 
teacher  the  type  and  symbol  of  the  one  great, 
supreme  truth  that  he  came  to  teach.  Let  us 
pray  devoutly  and  study  steadfastly  to  catch 
something  of  his  supreme  power  in  the  use  of  the 
multitudinous  materials  so  ready  at  hand  as 
teaching  agencies. 

In  John  3,  Jesus  gives  us  an  additional  illus- 
tration of  his  power  to  use  familiar  things  im- 
mediately present  to  the  senses  in  enforcing  a 
great  truth.  A  great  scholar  comes  to  him  in 
the  night.  Nicodemus,  in  fear  of  his  associates, 
slips  through  the  shadows  of  the  streets  to  the 
place  where  the  great  teacher  abides.  He  hastily 
opens  and  closes  the  door,  shuts  himself  from  the 
world,  and  opens  himself  to  the  great  Teacher. 
As  these  two  sit  conversing  upon 
isfccTdem'lfs  ^^^^  mysteries  of  birth  into  the 
kingdom,  Nicodemus  is  puzzled, 
perplexed,  confused,  and  finds  himself  unable  to 
follow  the  great  teacher's  thought.  The  Teacher, 
realizing  this,  says,  "  Marvel  not,"  and  then  fol- 
lows a  fine  illustration  of  the  use  of  the  concrete. 
Through  the  room  in  which  they  sat  swept  the 
night  wind,  and  Jesus  said,  "  Nicodemus,  listen ; 
the  wind  bloweth  where  it  will,  and  thou  hearest 


EDUCATIONAL  METHODS  USED  BY  JESUS    29 1 

the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it 
cometh  and  whither  it  goeth :  so  is  every  one  that 
is  born  of  the  Spirit."  Here  Jesus  shows  again 
his  mastery  over  common  things  as  a  basis  of 
approach  to  the  greater  things  which  he  desired 
to  present  to  the  spirit  of  this  learned  man. 

In  the  next  chapter  we  have  a  finer  illus- 
tration of  this  great  power.  Jesus  sat  at  a 
well,  and  a  woman  of  Samaria  came  to  draw 
water.  He  did  an  unusual  thing,  in  saying  to  a 
stranger-woman,  "  Give  me  a  drink."  On  the 
basis  of  this  request,  step  by  step,  with  skill  and 
patience  and  insight,  he  built  into  the  spirit  of 

Jesus  and  the  ^^'^'^  woman  the  great  lesson  that 
Samaritan  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  that  he  that 
^*'"'*"  spake  unto  her  is  the  Christ.  So 

incident  after  incident  reveals  skill  in  the  use  of 
the  concrete  to  help  the  learner  comprehend  the 
abstract  and  the  general  truth.  Note  also  the  fact 
that  Jesus  used  the  same  method  whether  he 
taught  an  ignorant  woman  or  a  learned  doctor 
of  the  law.  He  had  no  need  to  grade  his  mate- 
rials, but  he  saw  in  everything  sufficient  material 
to  nourish  every  grade  of  mind  that  came  to  him 
to  learn.  So,  I  take  it,  it  would  be  with  us  if 
we,  like  him,  knew  how  to  teach ;  and  once  again 
I  must  impress  the  fact  that  it  is  the  power  of 
the  teacher  more  than  the  grading  of  the  material 
that  makes  success  possible  in  the  training  of  a 


292  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

human  soul.  Give  the  children  teachers  first. 
Graded  materials  of  instruction  will  inevitably 
follow  in  due  time. 

Another  marked  characteristic  of  the  teaching 
of  Jesus  is  found  in  the  fact  that  he  changed  the 
basis  of  instruction  from  one  of  negation  to  one 
of  assertion.  He  upturned  all  the  negative  forms 
of  thought  that  ran  riot  with  the  development  of 

the  human  spirit,  and  substituted 
Teaching         positive    guidance    in    all     right 

living.  Over  and  over  again,  in 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  he  reminded  his 
disciples  that  the  law  is  **  Thou  shalt  not/'  but 
his  teaching  is  "  Thou  shalt."  There  is  a  world- 
wide difference  between  negative  instruction  and 
positive  instruction.  These  negative  rules  and 
forms  of  thought  have  but  one  virtue.  They 
keep  us  from  doing  the  thing  that  we  ought  not 
to  do.  They  fail  to  tell  us  what  we  should  do ; 
and  the  world  needs  guidance  in  right  doing  more 
than  it  needs  negations. 

I  sometimes  think  that  if  the  old  schoolhouses 
could  speak  out  the  one  word  that  they  have 
heard  most  frequently  repeated  within  their 
walls,  they  would  send  forth  with  a  shout  the 
word  "  Don't  !  "  I  am  quite  sure  that  in  many 
homes  most  of  the  moral  teaching  of  the  child 
consists  in  telling  him  what  he  ought  not  to  do. 
From  daylight   to   twilight   it   is   one   incessant 


EDUCATIONAL  METHODS  USED  BY  JESUS     293 

round  of  don't  do  this,  and  don't  do  that,  anfl 

don't  do  the  other  thing,  until  the  wearied  spirit 

of  the  child  in  despair  calls  out, 

Don't  "  What  may  T  do  ?  "  Jesus  comes 

as    a    protest    against    this    pro- 

scriptive  teaching,  and  deliherately  sets  about  to 

tell  the  world  what  it  must  do  to  be  saved.     He 

builds  a  positive  and  a  constructive  code  of  ethics, 

and  this  product  has  been  the  guidance  of  the 

human  race  in  all  the  years  that  have  intervened. 

We  know  no  better  saying  of  what  duty  should 
consist,  we  have  no  wiser  statement  of  what 
conduct  should  be,  than  the  simple  sayings  of 
the  majestic  Teacher.  Let  us  consider  thought- 
fully the  great  value  of  this  teaching  of  Jesus. 
He  tells  us  what  we  shall  do.  He  knows  what 
conduct  should  be.  He  has  the  courage  as  well 
as  the  ability  to  urge  men  everywhere  to  do 
things  because  he  knows  the  tilings  that  are  right. 
Some  of  us  are  not  so  clear  in  these  matters. 
We  are  able  generally  to  issue  a  negative  com- 
mand, to  halt  wrong-doing,  to  stop  evil  tend- 
encies ;  but  when  we  are  asked  to  say,  on  the  other 
hand,  what  the  child  should  do,  we  are  helpless. 
Our  words  fail  to  furnish  guidance,  and  our  best 
thought  is  impetuous  and  useless. 

I  remember  that  the  great  laws  written  on  the 
tables  of  stone,  and  given  to  Moses  when  he  was 
in  the  mountain  in  the  morning  alone  with  God, 


294      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

are  couched  in  negative  form.     I  appreciate  all 
that  that  means.     I  understand  how  necessary  it 

is  that  law  should  formulate  its 
^XLictZ''     <^ecree  in  that  way,  for  law  is  the 

arrest  of  wrong-doing.  Jesus 
Christ  came  to  fulfil  the  law  by  showing  the  bet- 
ter way.  Instead  of  halting  the  human  race 
in  the  mad  rush  to  ruin,  he  turns  them  face  about, 
and  points  them  to  the  everlasting  kingdom  of 
the  Father,  and  says,  with  an  appeal  that  is  over- 
mastering, "  Come  unto  me."  Perhaps  nothing 
in  all  the  sayings  of  Jesus  has  been  so  potential 
in  confirming  his  divinity  in  the  souls  of  his  fol- 
lowers as  this  specific  guidance  in  right-doing. 
We  turn  to  him  in  the  confident  conviction  that 
he  knows  the  way  that  we  should  tread.  We 
know  that  he  knows,  and  for  that  reason  we  wor- 
ship him.  Is  it  necessary,  then,  to  emphasize 
more  than  has  already  been  done  the  importance 
of  telling  children  always  and  everywhere  the 
things  that  they  should  do.  The  Sunday-school 
should  be  the  constructive  agency,  pointing  chil- 
dren steadily  to  those  lines  of  thought  and  con- 
duct that  are  in  harmony  with  the  divine  law. 

In  harmony  with  this  thought  I  wish  to  make 
a  suggestion  to  those  earnest  people  who  think 
it  their  duty  to  fortify  the  minds  of  children 
against  all  possible  forms  of  evil  by  telling  them 
years  in  advance  of  the  time  what  things  they 


EDUCATIONAL  METHODS  USED  BY  JESUS     295 

shall  be  sure  not  to  do.  There  was  a  time  when 
the  public  school  teacher  felt  that  he  should  an- 
nounce at  the  opening  of  his  school  a  long  list  of 

rules  telling  children  what  they 
The  New  Way      should    not   do,   but   experience 

soon  taught  that  no  number  of 
rules  could  possibly  cover  all  the  difficulties  that 
would  arise  in  the  school.  For  that  reason  this 
plan  was  long  since  abandoned,  and  to-day  we 
put  before  the  children  no  formal  and  extended 
list  of  "  Thou  shalt  nots ;  "  but  instead,  we  ap- 
peal to  the  common  element  of  justice  and  equity 
which  is  everywhere  innate  in  the  soul,  and  which 
the  pupil  is  just  as  likely  to  know  as  the  teacher. 
One  teacher  who  thought  he  would  avoid  any 
possible  wrong-doing  on  the  part  of  his  pupils 
noticed  in  a  school-yard  a  wood-shed.  Thereupon 
he  announced  to  the  children  that  they  must  not 
play  on  the  roof  of  that  wood-shed.  It  had  not 
entered  the  minds  of  the  children  that  that  was  a 
good  place  to  play^  but  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
teacher  they  soon  found  out  that  that  roof  was 

the  only  spot  on  earth  that  would 
''rwroT/way    ^^^vd  adequate  pleasure.  Some- 

times  as  many  as  seventeen  were 
found  upon  it!  A  very  well-disposed  mother, 
but  not  wise,  on  leaving  her  home  one  day,  said 
to  the  older  children,  "  Now  be  sure  to  put  no 
beans  in  the  babv's  ears."       The  children  had 


296       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

never  thought  of  such  a  thing,  but  when  she  re- 
turned the  baby's  ears  were  well  filled  with  beans  1 
Over  against  this  sort  of  thing,  and  in  harmony 
with  the  example  of  Jesus,  the  better  way  is  to 
tell  the  child  plainly  just  what  he  should  do. 

May  I  safely  assume  that,  as  a  result  of  our 
ordinary  method  of  teaching,  we  make  the  child 
more  familiar  with  the  evil  to  be  avoided  than 
with  the  good  to  be  performed?  Is  this  wise? 
Some  negative  teaching  is  undoubtedly  neces- 
sary. It  has  a  preventive  value.  But  my  notion 
is  that  the  best  teaching  is  that  which  gives  to 
our  boys  and  girls  guidance  in  the  things  to  be 
done.  We  no  longer  lay  emphasis  upon  false 
syntax  to  teach  correct  English,  We  no  longer 
make  the  misspelled  word  the  most  prominent 
one.  We  lay  the  burden  of  our  effort  upon  se- 
curing correct   forms   of  words   and   sentences. 

We   should  commend  the  good 
The  Christ  Way     more  than  we  condemn  the  evil. 

This  builds  usable  ethical  and 
religious  concepts  in  the  soul.  The  effect  of  this 
is  significant.  How  often  the  Christian  leaders 
denounce  evil  things  with  merciless  energy !  How 
seldom  do  they  know  how  to  give  wise  guidance 
in  reforming  the  world !  Let  us  pray  for  power 
to  guide  the  world  to  the  right  things,  to  the 
Great  Teacher,  to  the  Father-soul, 


EDUCATIONAL  METHODS  USED  BY  JESUS     297 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  values  attach  to  the  quality  of  patience  in  teach- 
ing? 

Have  you  ever  become  angry  with  your  pupils?  What 
was  the  net  result  ? 

Make  a  list  of  common  objects  that  you  can  readily  use 
to  illustrate  great  religious  truths. 

Did  Nicodemus  get  information  or  inspiration  from 
Jesus?     Which  is  worth  the  more? 

What  is  the  value  of  individual  teaching?  Of  class 
teaching? 

How  did  Jesus  change  his  method  in  teaching  different 
persons  ? 

Point  out  just  the  difference  between  positive  and 
negative  guidance. 

In  teaching,  do  you  use  don't  or  do  most  frequently? 

How  did  Jesus  modify  the  form  of  moral  and  religious 
instruction  ? 

Is  it  wise  to  tell  children  everythmg  they  are  not  to 
do? 

A  great  reformer  always  has  a  positive  remedy  for  evil. 
Measure  Jesus  by  this  standard. 


XXV 

SOME  ASPECTS  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING 

T  AM  a  believer  in  personal  interviews.  I  think 
a  Sunday-school  teacher  should  in  some  way 
plan  to  have  a  brief  talk  with  each  member  of  his 
class,  at  irregular  intervals,  as  occasion  opens 
the  way.  In  these  talks  there  should  be  no  at- 
tempt to  criticize  or  to  scold  or  to  find  fault,  but 
a   very    honest    attempt,    and   a 

Personal  £j.      j.  ^^         -^^    ^^^^    ^^    ^j^^ 

Interviews  '  '^ 

child    certain    things    which,    in 

years  that  are  to  come,  he  will  find  to  be  of  some 
use  to  him.  I  recall  some  such  interviews  as  that 
between  good  men  who  were  my  teachers  and 
myself,  and  the  power  of  those  interviews  has 
rested  upon  me  in  all  the  years  that  have  fol- 
lowed. It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  a  child  is 
more  impressed  in  a  personal  interview  than  by 
any  amount  of  class  instruction.  It  is  this  per- 
sonal concern  for  the  child,  this  willingness  to 
act  as  friend  and  adviser,  this  deep-seated  con- 
cern which  reveals  itself  in  the  personal  quality 
of  interest  and  help,  that  sobers  the  child's 
thought,  steadies  his  conduct,  and  stimulates  his 
regard  for  the  things  that  are  sweet  and  clean 
298 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING     299 

and  right.  There  is  much  warrant  for  this  in 
the  example  of  Jesus.  How  often  he  had  per- 
sonal interviews  that  are  recorded  in  the  Gospels, 
and  how  many  more  he  probably  did  have  that 
are  not  recorded !  The  burden  of  the  whole 
W'orld  was  upon  him,  and  }'et  he  had  time  to 
turn  aside  from  the  multitude  and  give  to  one 
soul  personal  help  and  comfort  and  guidance. 

In  a  preceding-  chapter  I  called  attention  to 
the  fact  that  scholarship  was  not  an  end  with 
Jesus.  I  wish  now  to  say  that  this  is  no  evidence 
that  he  himself  was  not  a  scholar.  He  was  not  only 
familiar  with  the  law  of  his  own  people,  but  he 
knew  the  law  of  the  Roman  conquerors,  and  he 
knew  the  customs,  habits,  and  modes  of  life  of 
all  the  different  peoples  that  thronged  the  great 

cosmopolitan  city  of  Jerusalem. 
sc7oilrsh?p       With  his  scholarship,  therefore, 

he  was  able  to  command  respect, 
but  he  did  not  obtrude  this  quality  of  his  equip- 
ment as  a  teacher  upon  his  hearers.  It  was  sim- 
ply used  to  answer  those  who  came  to  him  to 
confuse  him,  and  to  instruct  those  who  came 
to  him  to  be  guided  of  him.  This  seems  to  me  to 
be  an  ideal  use  of  knowledge.  When  a  teacher 
is  more  anxious  to  impress  a  pupil  with  what 
he  knows  than  he  is  to  incite  his  pupil  to  right 
living, — when,  in  other  words,  the  emphasis  of 
his  thought  and  effort  is  directed  to  himself  in- 


300       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

stead  of  his  pupils,  he  is  not  only  a  vain  man, 
but  a  poor  teacher. 

Another  matter  impresses  itself  upon  my  mind. 
Teachers  are  sometimes  over-critical  with  their 
pupils.  They  demand  statements  in  just  one  cer- 
tain order  of  words.  There  are,  of  course,  some 
things  that  should  be  said  just  so,  but  the  great 
majority  of  things  should  be  known  clearly,  and 
then  expressed  freely  in  the  language  of  the 
learner.  If  the  teacher  finds  a  pupil  stating  a 
great  truth  in  language  that  adequately  conveys 
that  truth,  the  teacher  should  appreciate  the  pu- 
pil's effort,  and  not  insist  upon  a  restatement  and 
another  restatement  until  the  thing  is  said  in  just 
the    way    the    teacher    wants    it 

'^T^'lllT"    said.     The  result  of  this  insist- 

Expression 

ence  is  that  the  pupil  becomes 
impressed  with  the  finicky,  fussy  quality  of  the 
teacher,  and  at  last  loses  interest  in  the  truth  it- 
self. If,  however,  the  truth  in  the  mind  of  the 
child  is  not  clear,  the  teacher  should  hold  to  the 
discussion  and  ask  for  a  restatement,  a  reorgani- 
zation of  the  thought,  again  and  again  and  again, 
if  need  be,  until  the  thing  is  clearly  understood. 
The  emphasis  of  the  teacher's  concern  should  be 
upon  what  the  child  thinks,  and  freedom  should 
be  given  to  the  child  to  formulate  his  thought  in 
language  of  his  own  spirit. 

In  order  to  help  the  pupil  to  right  expression, 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING     3OI 

the  teacher  slioukl  constantly  point  out  the  beauty, 

the  simpHcity,  and  the   strength   of  the  EngHsh 

of   the   Bible ;   hold   it   up   as  a 

'^''th^'W-hf  *     moc^el;    encourage   the   child  to 

the  oible  '  ^ 

State  things  in  the  same  splendid 
English  in  which  the  truth  of  God  comes  to  him 
in  his  English  Bible. 

More  and  more,  writers  are  recognizing  that 
the  purest  English  to  be  found  anywhere  is  in  the 
Bible.  Many  of  the  Psalms  are  models  of  strong 
and  yet  simple  English.  Of  this  English  in  the 
Bible  a  noted  divine,  Dr.  Faber,  says :  "  It  lives 

on  the  ear,  like  a  music  that  can 
Dr.  Faber        never    be     forgotten,     like    the 

sound  of  church  bells,  which  the 
convert  hardly  knows  how  he  can  forego.  Its 
felicities  often  seem  to  be  almost  things  rather 
than  mere  words.  It  is  part  of  the  national  mind, 
and  the  anchor  of  national  seriousness.  The 
memory  of  the  dead  passes  into  it.  The  potent 
traditions  of  childhood  are  stereotyped  in  its 
verses.  The  power  of  all  the  griefs  and  trials 
of  a  man  is  hidden  beneath  its  words.  It  is  the 
representative  of  his  best  moments,  and  all  that 
there  has  been  about  him  of  soft  and  gentle  and 
pure  and  penitent  and  good  speaks  to  him  forever 
out  of  his  English  Bible.  It  is  his  sacred  thing, 
which  doubt  has  never  dimmed  and  controversy 
never  soiled.    In  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 


302      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

land  there  is  not  a  Protestant  with  one  spark  of 
religiousness  about  him  whose  spiritual  biogra- 
phy is  not  in  his  Saxon  Bible." 

How  did  Jesus  impress  his  pupils?  We  are 
told  in  Matthew  7  :  28  that  the  multitudes  were 
astonished  at  his  doctrine.  The  source  of  this 
astonishment  is  easily  discovered.  He  did  not 
teach  as  others  taught.  There  was  something 
in  the  quality  of  his  instruction  that  lifted  it  out 
of  the  class  of  man's  effort.  People  who  went 
to  hear  him  did  not  go  away  with  the  feeling 
that  they  had  the  old  things  repeated  to  them  in 

pretty  much  the  same  manner  as 
impre°sTei"?hers    they    had    been    accustomed    to 

hear  them  from  year  to  year. 
Here  was  a  teacher  with  a  new  method  as  well 
as  a  new  message.  Their  astonishment  was  due 
not  only  to  the  original  material  that  he  pre- 
sented, but  also  to  the  original  manner  that  he 
used.  There  was  an  earnestness  and  a  directness 
and  a  power  in  this  teacher  that  differentiated 
him  from  his  contemporaries,  and  that  still  dif- 
ferentiates him  from  all  other  teachers.  This 
peculiar  and  distinctive  quality  of  his  teaching 
is  explained  in  the  next  verse. 

He  taught  them  as  one  having  authority.  There 
is  a  world-wide  difference,  even  among  men,  be- 
tween an  author  of  a  subject  and  an  expounder 
of  a  subject.    For  a  man  to  teach  with  authority 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING     303 

implies   authorship,   original   power,   knowledge 
at  first  hand,   direct  personal  contact  with  the 

truth.     Alost  of  us  must  remain 
Authority         always  the  expounders  of  things 

thought  out  and  wrought  out  by 
others.  It  is  only  the  rare  mind  that  can  claim 
authorship,  and  that  therefore  can  speak  with 
authority.  Jesus  as  a  teacher  had  more  than  the 
power  of  a  religious  investigator.  He  knew 
things  at  first  hand.  He  is  the  truth.  It  was 
this  quality  in  his  teaching  that  impressed  his 
hearers  over  and  over  again. 

No  man  can  teach  as  Christ  taught ;  but  there 
is  a  lesson  that  we  teachers  may  learn  even  from 
this  divine  "  authority ''  that  is  Christ's  alone. 
Wc  may  strive  to  give  authority  to  our  own 
teaching.  When  a  man  makes  discovery  of  a 
new  scientific  law  his  name  is  heralded  through- 
out the  civilized  world.  He  is  at  once  lifted  out 
of  the  common  group  and  placed  in  that  select 
and  limited  circle  of  truly  great  benefactors  of 
the  race.  There  are  not  many  of  these.  One 
can  almost  coinit  them  over  on  the  fingers  of 
two  hands,  and  yet  they  are  the  great  lights  that 

illumine  the  pathway  of  the  mul- 
A  Comparison     titude.     And  we  must  recognize 

Jesus  as  the  only  divine  and  per- 
fect type  of  the  original  discoverer,  of  the 
man    with   a    message.      He    has   given   to    us 


304      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

the  largest  personal  gift  that  the  race  has  ever 
received,  and  deserves,  as  does  no  one  else,  to  be 
called  the  master  of  those  that  teach.  I  do  not 
say  this  in  any  burst  of  enthusiasm  or  religious 
fervor,  but  as  a  result  of  a  cool,  deliberate  judg- 
ment after  years  of  study  of  his  own  teaching 
and  its  influence,  and  the  teaching  and  influence 
of  every  great  educator  in  the  past  three  thousand 
years. 

What  joy,  then,  must  come  to  him  who,  in  a 
sense,  teaches  with  authority,  who  is  himself  the 
discoverer  of  the  truth  that  he  announces!  Most 
of  us  have  a  few  little  things  that  we  have  worked 
out  in  some  way  that  gives  us  an  impression  that 
they  are  peculiarly  our  own.  How  we  like  to  tell 
these  things!  How  we  like  to  work  them  into 
our  discussion,  and  with  what  satisfaction  we 
regard  their  acceptance  by  others !  When  Galileo 
discovered  the  movement  of  the  earth  around  the 
sun,  it  is  said  that  he  was  so 
Joy  in  overcome    with    emotion   that   it 

Discovery 

hastened  his  death;  and  in  his 
dying  hours  he  clasped  in  his  hands  the  wet 
proofs  of  his  book  announcing  his  great  discov- 
ery to  the  world.  When  Kepler  made  his  great 
discovery  that  the  planets  moved  in  elliptical  or- 
bits, it  is  said  that  his  hand  trembled  with  emotion, 
and  that  he  was  unable  to  complete  his  calcula- 
tions for  some  time.    When  at  last  the  full  proof 


SOME  ASPECTS  UF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING     305 

of  the  theory  was  before  him,  he  exclaimed : 
"  Great  God,  I  think  ihy  thoughts  after  thee !" 
These  are  but  examples  of  the  supreme  ecstasy  of 
the  spirit  that  moves  out  into  new  and  untrodden 
paths,  and  finds  there  the  rich  treasures  of  God. 
What  must  have  been  the  ecstasy  of  the  Great 
Teacher  as  he  unfolded  the  mysteries  of  his 
Father  to  the  astonished  multitude.  A  weak 
teacher  would  have  been  swept  from  his  moor- 
ings and  carried  away  on  the  tides  of  enthusiasm 
his  teaching  produced,  but  Jesus  was  always  su- 
premely himself.  There  is  no  finer  tribute  to 
his  great  power  than  his  ability  to  preserve  his 
poise  under  all  circumstances. 

I  wish  to  urge  upon  each  teacher  the  great 
importance  of  taking  up  some  one  thing,  and 
studying  it  until  it  is  mastered,  of  investigating  it 
until  its  full  significance  is  grasped,  of  pondering 
upon  it  until  it  illumines  all  the  ranges  of  one's 
thought.  It  has  been  my  privilege  from  time 
to    time    to    enjoy    unusual    ex- 

JMastery  a  Source    „      •  a  j  i-i^i 

of  Power  periences,  to  do  some  little 
things  that  were  not  done  before, 
and  I  know  in  part  the  intense  rapture  of  the 
spirit  when  it  comes  into  the  possession  of  an 
experience  that  is  unique,  of  a  truth  that  has  not 
been  discerned.  I  find  that  these  experiences  are 
the  most  fruitful  ones,  and  that  they  become  the 
richest  teaching  material  that  I  possess. 


306      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

It  is  a  good  thing  to  use  those  rich  and  rare 
personal  experiences  that  come  to  us  from  time 
to  time  as  we  touch  human  life  and  come  to  un- 
derstand human  need.  How  often  I  have  seen 
a  listless  class  stirred  to  interest  by  the  teacher's 
skill  in  presenting  at  the  right  moment  some 
personal  experience  bearing  upon  the  point  at 
issue.     It    means    something   to 

Autobiography       ^^^'^^    P^^P^^    ^^    ^^''^    ^    ^°^^    '" 

upon  the  life  of  another.  We 
read  the  autobiographies  of  men  with  great  in- 
terest, and  even  when  they  have  left  no  such 
record,  we  naturally  delight  to  construct  in  our 
own  minds  a  picture  of  their  lives. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  is  your  experience  as  to  the  value  of  personal 
interviews  with  your  pupils? 

Make  a  list  of  the  persons  with  whom  Jesus  had 
personal  interviews. 

What  do  you  consider  to  be  the  true  function  of 
knowledge  ? 

How  exact  should  the  pupils'  statements  be  in  order 
to  meet  the  approval  of  the  teacher? 

What  difference  would  you  make  between  clear  think- 
ing and  clear  language? 

Give  some  reasons  for  the  matchless  English  of  the 
Bible? 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  RELIGIOUS  TEACHING     307 

Was  Jesus  concerned  primarily  in  pleasing  his  pupils? 
If  not,  what  was  his  first  concern? 

Should  a  teacher  aim  primarily  to  satisfy  his  pupils  or 
to  make  them  hungry? 

Point  out  clearly  the  significance  of  teaching  with 
authority. 

What  relation  exists  between  the  personal  experience 
and  the  statements  of  a  teacher? 

In  what  respect  is  biography  the  best  material  in  teach- 
ing? 

Make  a  list  of  great  biographies  that  have  in  them 
the  flash  of  divinity. 


XXVI 

SOME    SUGGESTIONS    FOR    THE    SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL  TEACHER 

'\7'  OU  will  naturally  study  the  lives  of  great 
•*  teachers  in  order  to  find  the  guidance  you 
need,  and  in  order  to  discover  if  possible  the 
secret  of  the  service  they  rendered.  Such  study  is 
always  stimulating  and  helpful.  As  we  come  to 
know  what  they  did,  under  what  conditions  they 
wrought,  against  what  limitations  they  were 
obliged  to  struggle,  there  arises  in  us  a  desire  and 
a  resolution  to  make  our  own  teaching  count  for 
high  and  worthy  ends.  "  Biography  is  history 
teaching  by  example."  Autobiography  is  the 
most  stimulating  of  all  history  teaching.  To  see 
a  man's  life  as  he  knew  it  is  a  rare  inspiration. 

I  commend  to  you  the  interesting  and  val- 
uable study  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  and  would 
count  it  of  great  value  to  you  if  you  were  to 
conceive  what  Jesus  might  have  written  concern- 
ing himself  from  time  to  time,  as  he  moved 
^^  among    men    and    taught  them. 

Autobiography     No  sucli  rccord  is  left  to  us,  but 

of  Jesus  1  J  •    1  i.       J. 

some  such  record  we  might  at- 
tempt to  construct.     I  should  like  to  know  what 
he  thought  after  he  had  concluded  the  marvelous 
308 


SOME   SUGGESTIONS  3O9 

Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  what  he  thought  when 
Nicodemus  left  him ;  what  he  thought  after  the 
visit  to  the  house  of  Mary  and  Martha,  and  what 
he  thought  after  he  left  Jacob's  Well ;  in 
short,  what  he  thought  each  time  after  he  had 
taught  the  multitude,  or  his  disciples,  or  some 
one  person.  I  wonder  whether  we  go  from  our 
teaching  sobered  and  thoughtful.  Do  we  take  our 
pupils  before  the  Father  in  prayer,  and  ask  of 
him  the  question,  "  Have  I  done  the  best  things 
to-day  that  I  could  have  done  ? ''  It  is  this  kind 
of  personal  criticism  that  makes  growth  possible 
in  the  teacher. 

Jesus  sympathized  with  every  condition  of 
human  life.  No  man  was  so  poor  but  that  Jesus 
was  willing  to  help  him.  Xo  man  was  so  low 
but  that  Jesus  had  a  word  of  guidance  and  help. 

No    man    was    so    far    removed 
s'imVathy         ^^om  what  he  ought  to  be  but 

that  Jesus  was  willing  to  see 
him,  to  teach  him,  to  help  him.  His  sympathies 
were  as  broad  as  the  human  family,  and  he 
seemed  to  love  those  most  that  needed  it  most, 
and  to  extend  the  largest  measure  of  help  to  those 
that  were  most  helpless.  We  are  sometimes  told 
that  we  should  treat  all  our  pupils  alike.  This  is 
both  true  and  false,  depending  entirely  upon  how 
we  interpret  the  maxim.  Let  the  emphasis  of 
your  interest  and  guidance  rest  upon  the  child 


3IO      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

that  seems  most  to  need  it.  Remember  the  poor 
child  that  comes  to  the  Sunday-school ;  remem- 
ber those  that  have  no  proper  home,  and  to  the 
extent  of  your  ability  lay  the  emphasis  of  your 
concern  and  of  your  suggestions  upon  those.  It 
is  comparatively  easy  for  us  to  be  interested  in 
the  interesting  children,  in  those  that  are  bright 
and  clean  and  well-dressed  and  well-mannered, 
and  yet,  if  we  are  to  understand  the  full  force  of 
the  teaching  of  Jesus,  we  must  not  allow  our 
personal  feelings  to  carry  us  away  from  the  ob- 
ligation that  we  owe  to  the  more  unfortunate 
little  ones,  to  whom  the  kind  word  and  the  sym- 
pathetic concern  of  the  teacher  is  perhaps  the 
only  bright  spot  in  their  dreary  lives. 

Sometimes  children  are  slow  to  grasp  the  truth. 
Their  every-day  experience  is  such  as  to  give 
them  little  that  will  aid  in  the  interpretation  of 
religious  thought.  They  come  to  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  do  not  respond  with  that  alertness 
and  interest  which  we  so  much  desire  to  secure 
from    our     pupils.       Remember 

E^wronment  ^^^^^  ^^^^  ^^7  "o*  be  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  child  is  essentially 
stupid,  nor  to  the  fact  that  the  teacher  is  neces- 
sarily weak.  If  the  child  lives  the  entire  week 
in  an  atmosphere  that  provides  little  or  no  re- 
ligious nutrition,  how  in  reason  can  we  expect 
anything  like  satisfactory  results  from  a  thirty 


SOME  SUGGESTIONS  3II 

minutes'  recitation  once  a  week  ?  Sometimes  you 
may  incline  to  censure  the  pupil  for  lack  of 
progress  and  of  interest  in  the  lessons  you  labor 
to  fix  in  his  spirit.  Do  not  forget  to  reckon  up 
the  many  influences  in  his  life  that  are  at  war 
with  your  purposes.  When  he  moves  your  way, 
even  the  slightest  degree,  you  will  not  forget 
what  a  struggle  this  may  represent  in  his  soul. 
This  is  only  another  way  of  saying  that  the 
child  who  is  thus  unfortunately  homed  deserves 
consideration  and  care  and  patience  at  the  hands 
of  the  teacher.  Be  patient!  Be  patient!  And 
evermore  be  patient ! 

There  is  a  certain  group  of  pupils  that  come  to 
the  Sunday-school  through  force  of  habit.  It 
has  been  a  family  experience,  perhaps  for  genera- 
tions. The  Sunday-school  is  one  of  the  regular 
items  in  the  life  of  the  child.  No  argument  is  nec- 
essary, no  command  is  needed. 

Another  Child's  •    •  , 

Environment  "°  Unnecessary  provisions  need 
be  made, — the  child  simply 
comes.  The  habit  is  fixed.  His  presence  in  the 
Sunday-school  is  regular,  and,  for  the  most  part, 
satisfactory.  Frequently,  but  not  always,  this 
group  belong  to  Christian  homes.  The  influence 
of  a  family  altar  upon  the  religious  training  of  a 
child  cannot  well  be  overestimated.  To  gather, 
in  the  evening  quiet,  about  the  family  Bible,  to 
hear  its  soul-satisfying  words  read  by  a  pious 


312  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

father,  to  kneel  by  the  side  of  a  good  mother,  to 
repeat  with  brother  and  sister  and  parents  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  to  worship  God  at  home,  this  is 
to  build  character  after  the  best  models  and  this 
is  to  put  upon  the  young  soul  an  impress  that 
neither  time  nor  eternity  can  remove.  Happy 
the  teacher  whose  pupils  are  thus  predisposed  to 
receive  from  him  the  words  of  light  and  of  love 
and  of  life ! 

There  is  another  group  of  children  that  come 
to  the  Sunday-school  because  their  companions, 
playmates,  and  friends  attend  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  they  are  thus  drawn  into  the  group. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  home-life  of  these  chil- 
dren to  dispose  them  to  attend  or  to  prevent 
them  from  attending.    They  are 

^XiUr  ^*  simply  caught  in  the  community 
spirit,  and  carried  into  the 
Sunday-school.  Most  Sunday-schools  encourage 
their  regular  pupils  to  bring  in  other  pupils,  and, 
I  believe,  in  many  cases  give  prizes  or  premiums 
as  a  fonn  of  recognition  to  those  pupils  who 
bring  in  the  largest  group  of  new  pnpils. 

There  is  another  group  that  come  to  the 
Sunday-school  upon  parental  command,  and  in 
part,  it  may  be,  to  atone  for  the  parents'  own  lack 
of  religious  concern.  The  parents  do  not  go  to 
the  Sunday-school.  They  perhaps  do  not  go  to 
church,  yet  they  feel  that  some  sort  of  religious 


SOME   SUGGESTIONS  313 

activity  ought  to  be  going  on  in  the  family,  and, 

in  order  to  quiet  their  consciences  and  show  at 

least   a    form    of    religious   con- 

A^ten'dance  ^^^"  ^'^^^'  ^^"*-^  their  children  to 
Sunday-school,  hoping  thereby 
to  poultice  their  own  consciences  and  thus  per- 
haps keep  themselves  above  the  community  criti- 
cism. 

There  is  another  group  that  come  to  the 
Sunday-school  just  because  they  come.  There 
is  no  habit  to  bring  them  there ;  no  co-operation 
of  pupils  to  bring  them ;  there  is  no  stress  of  the 
home  to  bring  them ;  they  just  drop  in. 

These  types  of  Sunday-school  pupils  are  to  be 
found  everywhere,  and  many  other  types  might 
be  pointed  out.  I  have  said  enough  to  indicate 
to  you  this  significant  thing;  namely,  that  chil- 
dren come  with  varied  motives  and  equipment  to 
the  Sunday-school.  Do  you  know  enough  about 
your  own  pupils  to  sort  them  out  into  such  groups 
as  these?  Have  you  ever  asked 
"^MomVnV*  yourself  the  question,  "How 
shall  each  one  of  these  groups  be 
regarded  and  taught  ?  "  Think  over  these  mat- 
ters. Make  a  little  investigation  of  the  condi- 
tions under  which  you  teach.  Study  your  stock 
in  trade.  See  what  you  have  to  build  upon.  It 
will,  perhaps,  help  you  to  see  your  problem  from 
a  new  point  of  view. 


314      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

Ideally  the  home  should  be  so  organized  that 
every  member  of  it  is  uneasy  with  the  stress  of 
concern  for  the  right  education  of  each  member 
in  religious  things.  It  is  the  business  of  the 
home  to  make  easy  the  pathway  of  the  child 
through  the  Sunday-school — which  is  the  church 
— to  the  Father.     The  Sunday- 

'^''fh^"Hrr/"*     school    teacher    and    the    pastor 

the  nome  '^ 

should  both  alike  co-operate 
with  the  home  in  securing  this  direct  approach 
on  the  part  of  each  child  to  the  great  things  of 
life.  We  must  not  put  obstacles  in  the  way.  Let 
us  try  ourselves  by  this  test :  what  am  I  doing 
personally  to  make  easy  the  growth  of  each  of 
my  pupils  into  higher  spiritual  insight  and  use- 
fulness ? 

At  this  point  I  wish  also  to  call  attention  to  the 
Sunday-school  literature  which  has  been  made 
the  butt  of  ridicule,  of  criticism,  and  of  jests, 
everywhere  in  this  country.  The  general  notion 
seems  to  be  that  Sunday-school  literature  is  bad ; 
that  children  ought  not  to  read  it  because  its 
ideals  are  not  true  to  life,  and  one  hears,  until 
he  is  weary  of  it,  the  ordinary  statement  that 
Sunday-school  books  always  emphasize  the  fact 
that  the  good  die  early  and  the  bad  hang  on 
endlessly. 

I  believe  a  vast  amount  of  this  criticism  is 
wholly  unwarranted.     I  am  quite  sure  that  the 


SOME   SUGGESTIONS  315 

literature  in  the  Sunday-school  is  not  as  bad  as 
most  people  would  seem  to  indicate  that  it  is,  and 

yet    I    am    far    from    being    an 
Our  Literature     apologist     for     that     literature. 

Fundamentally  I  want  children 
to  read.  They  should  read  the  Bible,  of  course,  but 
they  should  read  such  other  material,  based  upon 
concrete  every-day  life,  as  will  help  them  to  come 
into  a  vital  understanding  of  what  religious  life 
means.  No  doubt  many  of  our  books,  written 
by  people  whose  intentions  were  better  than  their 
achievements,  ought  not  to  be  within  the  reach 
of  the  child.  No  book  should  go  into  a  Sunday- 
school  until  some  competent  person  has  read  it 
and  indicated  his  approval  of  it.  There  should 
be  in  every  Sunday-school  a  critic  of  literature, 
to  whom  the  purchase  of  all  books  should  be  re- 
ferred. This  may  be  the  librarian,  or  it  may  be 
somebody  else,  designated  by  the  superintendent, 
whose  business  it  shall  be  to  answer  to  the 
Sunday-school  for  the  quality  of  material  which 
is  laid  before  the  children.  The  test  of  a  book 
should  be  rigorously  insisted  upon.  How  shall 
we  decide  when  a  book  is  of  the  right  sort? 

In  harmony  with  the  general  educational 
thought  underlying  these  chapters,  the  first  mark 
of  a  suitable  book  is  its  power  to  interest  the 
reader.  It  must  have  that  quality,  otherwise  it 
will  not  be  taken  from  the  library,  or,  if  taken,  it 


3l6  THE    MAKING    OF   A    TEACHER 

will  not  be  read.  But  the  book  must  be  more  than 
interesting.      Mere   interest   means   little   to  the 

child.     Some  of  the  most  perni- 
**rBook**        cious  books  in  the  Avorld  are  en- 

trancingly  interesting  to  a  child. 
The  second  mark,  then,  of  a  book  is  its  power 
to  make  the  reader  think.  Does  it  stimulate 
thought?  Does  it  crystallize  interest  into  judg- 
ments? Does  it  exercise  the  higher  powers  of 
thought?  If  not,  throw  it  aside.  It  is  useless, 
and  may  be  worse  than  useless.  The  third  mark 
of  a  good  book  is  its  power  to  make  the  reader 
live  a  better  life.  Can  the  lessons  of  the  book  be 
applied  in  every-day  life?  Does  it  teach  con- 
duct ?  Does  it  mold  character  ?  Does  it  influence 
will?  Is  it  a  book  that  makes  life  richer  by  mak- 
ing action  truer?  Not  one  of  these  tests,  but  all 
of  them,  must  be  applied  to  every  book.  If  the 
book  fails,  as  many  will,  to  pass  this  threefold 
test,  exclude  it  from  the  library. 

I  pity  a  Sunday-school  whose  only  boast  con- 
cerning its  library  is  in  the  large  number  of 
books  which  it  has  on  its  shelves.  It  is  not  the 
quantity,  but  the  quality,  that  is  to  be  considered. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  the  child 
A  Few  Books      ^    |^  omnivorous  reader,  but 

Essential  ' 

he  does  need  to  be  an  inter- 
ested, thoughtful,  and  transformed  reader.  There 
are  a  few  books  of  such  supreme  value  to  child- 


SOME  SUGGESTIONS  317 

hood  that  it  is  ahnost  a  crime  to  allow  a  child 
to  grow  up  ignorant  of  them.  There  is  an  irre- 
parable loss  to  the  child  that  has  not  read  "  Pil- 
grim's Progress,"  "  Robinson  Crusoe,"  "  The 
King  of  the  Golden  River,"  "  Aesop's  Fables," 
"  Water  Babies,"  and  kindred  works  that  con- 
tain the  very  elements  out  of  which  is  woven 
tiie  fabric  of  a  fine  character.  Books  are  teachers, 
and  they  must  accomplish  what  other  teachers 
should  accomplish,  or  they  are  to  be  laid  aside  as 
falling  below  the  needs  of  the  Sunday-school. 

A  wise  teacher  of  a  child  will  know  what  books 
that  child  reads.  A  wise  teacher  in  a  Sunday- 
school  will  know  what  books  his  pupils  are  read- 
ing week  by  week.  Why  should  not  the  child 
report  to  the  teacher  in  a  few  sentences  what 
each  book  meant  to  him  ?  Would  it  not  be  well, 
especially  on  review  days,  to  have  from  each 
child  an  expression  of  the  best  thoughts  and  the 
best  guidance  which  the  reading  of  the  quarter 
affords?  I  cannot  reconcile  myself  to  the  fact  that 

a    teacher    should    go    on    from 
Pupn's^Reldlng    ^cek  to  wcck  with  a  group  of 

children,  ignorant  of  the  read- 
ing material  with  which  they  are  nourishing  their 
spirits,  framing  their  thoughts,  and  in  part  at 
least  modifying  their  conduct.  Unless  a  book  has 
a  specific  value  to  a  child,  the  child  should  not 
read  it.     If  it  has  a  specific  value,  the  teacher 


3l8  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

should  make  note  of  that,  and  utiHze  it  in  giving 
unity  and  force  and  purpose  to  the  whole  teach- 
ing activity.  I  shall  not,  of  course,  undertake 
to  say  what  books  are  good  and  what  books  are 
bad.  I  do  not  know  enough  about  the  matter 
in  detail  to  judge  books,  but  I  have  indicated  here 
the  test  by  which  every  thoughtful  and  earnest 
teacher  will  be  able  to  settle  this  matter  for  him- 
self. 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  13  the  special  value  of  the  autobiographic 
sketch  ? 

In  what  way  does  the  life  of  a  writer  or  teacher  help 
to  explain  his  service? 

What  is  your  opinion  of  the  statement  that  the  teacher 
should  treat  all  pupils  alike? 

Discuss  the  reasons  for  the  different  rate  of  pro- 
gress made  by  pupils. 

How  does  the  home  life  influence  the  quality  of  in- 
struction in  the  Sunday-school? 

Classify  the  members  of  your  class  on  some  such 
basis  as  is  indicated  in  this  article. 

What  should  the  home  do  to  promote  the  efficiency  of 
Sunday-school  instruction? 

Write  a  description  of  a  home  life  that  would  best 
promote  your  success  as  a  Sunday-school  teacher. 

Should  children  study  the  Sunday-school  lesson  at 
home? 

What  books  do  the  pupils  of  your  class  read  ? 


SOME   SUGGESTIONS  319 

Are  these  the  best  books  they  could  be  induced  to 
read? 

What  guidance  is  afYorded  to  the  children  in  choosing 
reading  matter  from  the  Sunday-school? 

What  would  you  set  down  as  the  marks  of  a  proper 
book  for  a  child  ? 

Make  a  list  of  books  that  you  are  willing  to  commend 
to   your   pupils. 

Why  should  a  teacher  know  what  books  his  pupils 
read? 

Should  the  books  read  by  a  child  be  counted  a  part 
of  the  influence  that  educates  the  child?  If  so,  what 
use  should  be  made  of  this  material  by  the  teacher? 


XXVII 

SOME  THOUGHTS  ON    RELIGIOUS    EDUCA- 
TION 

npHE  Christian  religion  was  scarcely  four 
hundred  years  old  when  its  schools  sup- 
planted the  schools  of  the  Roman  Empire.  From 
that  time  on  through  fourteen  centuries,  with 
varying  success,  education  remained  a  function 
of  the  church.  For  the  most  part  the  teachers 
were  the  ministers  of  the  church  or  some  or- 
ganized body  specifically  trained  and  set  aside 
for  teaching   purposes.     Even   when   the   great 

upheaval  came  in  the  Protestant 
Chri^UaTschoois  Reformation  it  did  not  affect  the 

relation  of  the  church  to  the  ed- 
ucation of  the  people.  Almost  immediately  after 
the  Reformation  there  sprang  up  in  the  Roman 
church  the  Society  of  Jesus,  one  of  the  greatest 
teaching  bodies  known  in  the  religious  world. 
It  was  not  until  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury that  the  state  took  charge  of  the  education 
of  the  masses.  When  education  did  become  secu- 
lar, the  Sunday-school  arose  to  supplement  the 
work  of  the  state  schools  and  to  continue  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  child. 

The  Sunday-school  became  the  legitimate  in- 
320 


THOUGHTS    ON    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION       32 1 

heritor  of  the  central  activities  of  education  by 

the  church.    The  church  did  not  comprehend  fully 

_.    ^     .  its  oblioration  to  childhood  until 

The  Coming  » 

of  the  the  state  itself  took  up  in  a  seri- 

sunday-schooi  ^^^  ^^,^^^  ^j^^  problem  of  Univer- 
sal intelligence.  If  children  require  a  secular 
education  in  order  to  fit  them  for  the  service  of 
the  state,  surely  they  need  also  a  religious  educa- 
tion to  fit  them  for  the  service  of  the  church  and 
of  the  higher  life. 

For  one  hundred  years  now  we  have  had  this 
dual  aspect  of  education.  The  state  educates 
for  this  life ;  the  church  educates  for  the  life  to 
come.  But  the  church  cannot  properly  educate 
for  the  life  to  come  without  educating  for  the 
better  things  of  the  life  that  is.  The  state  pro- 
vides education  for  children  for  at  least  twelve 
years.  It  maintains  schools  for  upwards  of  eight 
months  in  each  of  these  years.  It  provides  edu- 
cation five  days  of  each  week 
^""^Does^*"*'  and  five  hours  of  each  of  these 
days.  It  is  therefore  easy  to 
compute  the  amount  of  time  which  the  state  de- 
votes to  the  education  of  the  child.  Compare 
this  with  the  meager  time  set  aside  by  the  church 
for  the  education  of  the  child  in  religious  things. 
One  does  not  regard  the  contrast  with  compla- 
cency, and  the  wonder  is  that  the  results  are  not 
less  meager  than  they  are. 


322      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

The  state  has  not  reached  the  limit  of  its  edu- 
cational concern.  There  are  evidences  on  every 
side  that  additional  provisions  should  be  made  and 
a  more  extended  training  provided.  The  amount 
of  money  expended  in  public  education  increases 
annually.  This  increase  is  not 
"^syTt^m^  due  alone  to  the  fact  that  the 
number  of  children  to  be  edu- 
cated is  increasing,  but  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
people  believe  enough  in  education  to  expend 
each  year  more  money  per  capita  for  the  educa- 
tion of  each  child.  The  system  of  state  educa- 
tion is  a  growing  system.  For  example,  in  the 
United  States  the  expenditure  per  capita  of  pop- 
ulation for  public  schools  in  1870  was  $1.75;  in 
1880,  $1.97;  in  1890,  $2.31;  in  1900,  $2.94;  in 
1902,  about  $3.15. 

The  same  may  be  said,  of  course,  of 
the  Sunday-school,  but  its  growth  is  not  so 
marked  nor  so  steady  as  is  that  of  the  secular 
school.  The  state  wisely  provides  for  the  proper 
training  of  the  teachers  who  are  to  direct  the 
educational  activity  of  the  secular  school.  The 
church  is  not  acting  with  anything  like  the  intel- 
ligence   that    characterizes    the 

What  is  Needed     state  in  this  particular.     Ought 

we  not  also  to  make  provisions 

for  the  training  of  men  and  women  to  teach  in 

the  Sunday-school?    When  you  reach  this  ques- 


THOUGHTS    ON    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION       323 

tion,  and  before  you  formulate  your  reply,  ask 
yourself  the  personal  question,  What  has  the 
church  done  to  help  me  teach  in  the  Sunday- 
school?  Ask  also  the  question,  What  should  the 
church  do  to  help  me  teach?  Then  ask  yourself 
the  great  question,  What  should  I  do  to  fit  myself 
to  teach  in  the  Sunday-school?  The  future  of 
the  Sunday-school  depends  upon  our  answer. 

Statistics  show  some  interesting  facts.  Lan- 
caster found  that  out  of  598  young  people  518 
had  some  form  of  religious  awakening  between 
the  ages  of  twelve  and  twenty.  According  to 
Drew,  573  out  of  756  were  converted  between 

the  same  ages,  Gulic  states  that 
AdlSLVn^       430  out  Of  536  were  converted 

between  these  ages.  Ayres 
gives  1,953  o"t  of  2,672.  Starbuck,  79  out  of 
100.  These  statistics  refer  to  boys.  The  statis- 
tics for  girls  would  probably  be  even  more  con- 
firmatory. If  the  greatest  gain  in  numbers  to 
the  church  comes  in  these  years,  one  can  readily 
see  how  tremendously  important  the  activity  of 
the  Sunday-school  is  in  its  soul-winning  oppor- 
tunity. It  is  also  a  well-known  fact  that  the 
crimes  common  to  youth  increase  at  a  very  rapid 
rate  at  the  age  of  twelve,  and  continue  to  increase 
for  three  or  four  years,  and  then  gradually  de- 
crease. For  example,  out  of  a  total  of  964  cases 
of  larceny  committed  by  children  under  the  age 


324  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

of  twenty-one,  85  were  at  the  age  of  twelve,  116 
at  the  age  of  thirteen,  154  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 
155  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  167  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, 105  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  57  at  the  age 
of  eighteen,  34  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  14  at  the 
age  of  twenty,  3  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Sub- 
stantially the  same  order  of  facts 
AdTel<!^nL  applies  to  incorrigibility,  to  va- 
grancy, to  burglary,  disorderly 
conduct,  assaults  of  all  sorts,  public  intoxication, 
and  other  misdemeanors  of  childhood.  I  do  not 
mean  to  say,  and  nobody  would  be  justified  in 
saying,  that  the  Sunday-school  is  responsible  for 
these  crimes,  but  we  must  necessarily  feel  that 
the  Sunday-school  should  be  one  of  the  agencies 
that  ought  actively  to  combat  the  tendencies  to 
these  offenses,  and  that  ought  to  make  them  a 
decreasing  activity. 

We  are  face  to  face  with  the  fact  that  our 

secular  schools  cannot,  in  the  very  nature  of  the 

case,  give  the  religious  training  which  the  child 

needs.    All  attempts  to  put  upon  the  public  school 

this  responsibility  must  necessarily  be   failures. 

Some  religious  instruction  is  given  in  the  secular 

schools.     More  may  be  given  in 

sSl'll^Jt"!    the  future  than  at  present.  Tend- 

encies  in  that  direction  manifest 

themselves  from  time  to  time  in  our  discussions, 

and  perhaps  at  no  time  has  this  matter  received 


THOUGHTS    ON    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION       325 

more  thought  than  it  is  receiving  to-day.  There 
are  certain  things  of  the  rehgious  Hfe  that  can 
safely  and  properly  be  taught  without  ofifense  in 
all  secular  schools,  but  when  they  have  done 
the  best  that  they  can  do,  and  have  reached  ideal 
conditions  within  their  limitations,  there  will  still 
remain  a  large  and  important  work  for  the 
Sunday-school. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  statistics  given  in  this 
chapter  that  the  vital  years  of  training  continue 
through  the  age  of  adolescence.  I  have  not  at 
all  undertaken  to  present  the  problems  peculiar 
to  this  age.  The  time  to  do  this  has  not  yet  come. 
We  need  more  facts  and  less  hypotheses  before 
we  can  organize  guidance.  But  enough  is  known 
to  warrant  the  statement  that  the  Sunday-school 
must  retain  its  influence  over  our  boys  and  girls 
until  they  are  fully  matured.     We  must  develop 

means   of   making  the   Sunday- 
"""pJiliem''       school    worth    while    to    young 

men  and  women.  This  must  not 
be  done  at  the  expense  of  the  primary  and  of 
the  intermediate  grades,  but  it  must  be  done  by 
additional  provisions  for  advanced  pupils. 

I  hope  no  one  will  misinterpret  my  purpose 
when  I  say  that  too  often  these  young  men  and 
women  are  literally  frozen  out  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  Many  of  them  have  not  yet  made  a  pro- 
fession of  the  better  life,  and  some  one  is  put 


326      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

in  charge  of  them  who  conceives  it  to  be  his 
solemn  duty  to  lecture  them  every  Sunday  upon 
their  sinful  v^^ays.  Now,  scolding  is  never  teach- 
ing, and  young  people  are  not  in 
^xSng"*  this  way  won  to  the  kingdom. 
What  they  really  need  is  a  warm- 
hearted, sane-minded,  enthusiastic  teacher,  whose 
energetic  and  zealous  and  capable  teaching  will 
arouse  and  interest  the  class,  and  stimulate  a  love 
for  the  religious  life.  Many  young  people  be- 
come disgusted  when  they  are  constantly  lectured 
and  nagged  and  held  up  as  "  an  awful  example." 
What  shall  be  said  of  that  Sunday-school  that 
puts  in  charge  of  these  young  people  a  teacher 
who  is  no  longer  fit  to  teach  the  younger  grades, 
and  who  is  given  this  advanced  group  solely  to 
get  rid  of  him  in  some  other  place  in  which  he 
was  a  confessed  failure? 

These  young  men    and    women    need    wisest 

guidance.     For  years  they  were  children.     They 

lived  with   their   faces   cradle-ward.     They  are 

now  living  with  their  faces  turned  to  the  future. 

Life  in  a  new  and  very  real  way  is  calling  to 

them.     They  are  facing  sun-ward.     They  need 

help.       They     should     have     a 

"^"you*!,"*  ***      teacher  whose  whole  spirit  is  in 

full  sympathy  with  their  hopes, 

their  aspirations,   their   yearnings.     This   is   the 

time  for  discussions.     Let  the  members  of  the 


THOUGHTS   ON    RELIGIOUS   EDUCATION      32/ 

class  formulate  opinions  and  discuss  great  ques- 
tions. Let  their  minds  be  active  and  expressive. 
I  have  known  teachers  to  suppress  every  free  im- 
pulse of  a  pupil.  I  have  known  others  who  knew 
how  carefully  a  young  man  states  a  hypothetic 
case,  when  in  fact  he  is  really  stating  his  own 
case.  The  latter  teacher  will  always  use  these 
discussions  to  guide  the  inquirer  in  the  right  lines 
of  thought  and  of.  effort. 

Build  in  the  souls  of  your  pupils  a  wholesome 
and  abiding  love  for  the  Bible — for  all  of  it, 
from  Genesis  to  Revelation.    Dr.  Nott  once  said, 

"  Men  cannot  be  well  educated 
Dr.  Nott         without    the    Bible.      It    ought, 

therefore,  to  hold  the  chief 
place  in  every  institution  of  learning  throughout 
Christendom."  Franklin  calls  the  Bible,  the 
newspaper,  and  the  school,  the  principal  support 

of    virtue,    morality,     and    civil 
"^"scott""        liberty.     Scott,  on  his  death-bed, 

called  for  the  Bible,  saying, 
"  There  is  only  one  book."  Sir  William  Jones 
said,  "  The  Bible  contains  more  true  sublimity, 
more    exquisite    beauty,    more    pure    morality, 

more     important     history,     and 

Sir  William  r  ,       •  r  ,  j      ^ 

Jones  ""^^  strams  of  poetry  and  elo- 

quence, than  can  be  collected 
from  all  other  books,  in  whatever  age  or  lan- 
guage they  have  been  written." 


328      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

And,  if  one  could  summon  to  his  side  all  the 
really  great  souls  that  have,  in  dying,  made  other 
lives  richer,  they  would  invariably  testify  to  its 
worth  and  its  power.  So  I  say,  with  Dr.  Holland, 
"Let  us  stick  to  our  Bible.  It  is  our  all — the 
one  regenerative,  redemptive  agency  in  the 
world — the  only  word  that  even  sounds  as  if  it 
came  from  the  other  side  of  the  wave.  If  we 
lose  it,  we  are  lost." 

To  put  the  Bible  into  the  hands  of  all  children, 
and  its  precepts  into  their  hearts,  is  a  holy  mis- 
sion. When  one  counts  over  the  services  that 
are  really  worth  while,  will  it  not  invariably  be 
found  that  what  one  does  to  guide  the  timid  foot- 
steps to  the  Father  is  in  the  last  analysis  the  best 
service  God  gives  him  to  do  in  this  life?  An  old 
teacher,  whose  many,  many  years  of  faithful  ser- 
vice had  left  him  at  last  poor  and  alone,  was  one 
day  visited   by   a   former  pupil. 

The  Power  of  i    •    a  i       r 

the  Teacher  "°^  ^  n\zn  01  mtiuence  and  oi 
character.  They  discussed  to- 
gether at  length  the  earlier  days  when  this  man 
was  a  boy  in  the  teacher's  school.  They  recalled 
many  interesting  incidents.  The  gratitude  of  the 
man  touched  the  heart  of  the  poor  old  teacher. 
The  man  invited  the  old  teacher  to  the  village  inn 
to  dine  with  him.  The  old  teacher  begged  to  be 
excused,  saying,  "  I  am  too  old,  my  hands 
tremble,  mv  clothes  are  not  fit."    But  the  former 


THOUGHTS    ON    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION      329 

pupil  insisted.  The  old  teacher  yielded.  They 
both  enjoyed  the  meal :  the  man.  because  he  was 
honoring  hi.s  teacher ;  the  teacher,  because  he  was 
honored  by  his  pupil.  When  they  parted  at  the 
railway  station  the  man  pushed  his  gold-headed 
cane  into  the  trembling  hand  of  his  dear  old 
teacher,  saying,  "  Now,  dear  teacher,  good-by 
till  we  meet  again." 

The  old  teacher  was  so  overcome  by  this  act  of 
kindness  that  his  eyes  grew  dim,  and  his  voice 
trembled  even  more  than  before.  He  protested 
that  he  did  not  deserve  this  generous  gift.  The 
man  thought  he  did.  He  said  so,  and  springing 
upon  the  train  called  out  again,  "  Good-by  till 
we  meet  again."  The  old  teacher,  his  finger 
pointing  to  the  heavens,  answered,  "  Yes,  till  we 
meet  again — up  there." 

Blessed  is  that  teacher  whose  words  and  influ- 
ence are  such  that  at  the  last  he  can  point  with 
gratitude  to  the  Father's  house  and  say  to  his 
pupils,  "  Let  us  meet  again — up  there." 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

What  led  to  the  separation  of  school  and  church? 

Enumerate  the  gains  and  the  losses  resulting  from  the 
establishment  of  secular  schools. 

Why  did  the  modern  Sunday-school  come  so  late  in 
the  history  of  the  church  ? 


330      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

Are  we  giving  time  enough  to  religious  education? 

What  marked  tendencies  of  a  religious  character  as- 
sert themselves  at  the  age  of  adolescence? 

Why  should  adolescent  pupils  remain  in  the  Sunday- 
school?    What  are  you  doing  to  keep  them  there? 

May  we  complacently  resign  our  children  to  the 
secular  school  and  demand  of  it  their  complete  educa- 
tion? 

What  reasons  may  be  assigned  for  the  relatively  small 
number  of  young  men  and  women  in  the  Sunday-school? 

Do  you  try — really,  earnestly  try — to  impress  upon 
your  pupils  the  full  value  of  a  knowledge  of  the  Bible? 

Write  a  list  of  services  you  know  the  Bible  has  been 
to  you,  to  civilization. 

What  is  the  best  service  man  can  render  to  God 
through  teaching? 


XXVIII 
THE  SCOPE  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

JOHN  RUSKIN  once  said  that  there  were  but 
three  questions  that  concerned  the  human 
soul ;  that  if  the  human  soul  could  propound  to 
itself  these  three  questions,  and  answer  them,  it 
had  justified  its  right  to  be.  The  first  of  these 
questions  is  this  :  How  did  I  get  into  this  world  ? 
The  second :  How  am  I  going  to  get  out  of  this 
world  ?    And  third  :  What  had  I 

^"""♦•Jff*       best  do  under  the  circumstances? 
Questions 

In  other  words,  the  three  great 
concerns  of  life  center  themselves  around  the 
thoughts  of  our  origin,  our  destiny  and  our  duty, 
and  we  have  scarcely  approached  the  problem  of 
duty  until  we  see  that  problem  in  the  light  of  our 
destiny,  and  in  the  light  of  our  origin ;  for  unless 
we  understand  that  with  which  we  are  endowed, 
and  that  for  which  we  have  been  endowed,  we 
will  scarcely  be  able  to  make  a  rational  use  of 
our  lives.  We  may  safely  leave  the  question 
of  our  origin  and  of  our  destiny  to  God.  The 
question  of  our  duty  we  must  face.  What  had 
we  best  do  under  the  circumstances? 

When  one  comes  to   a  consideration  of  the 

331 


332       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

moral  life^  the  life  which  sets  before  itself  the 
standard  of  living  up  to  its  best  thought,  one  has 

at   once  a   heroic   conception  of 
The  Moral  Life     the  human  soul.     If,  to-day,  we 

had  an  appreciable  group  of  peo- 
ple who  were  heroic  enough  always  to  do  the 
things  which  they  know  are  best  to  do,  we  would 
at  once  have  a  most  wholesome  leaven  in  our 
civilization. 

If,  to  the  thought  that  one  is  to  live  up  to  his 
best  knowledge,  is  added  the  additional  fact  that 
where  one's  knowledge  fails  to  give  guidance  one 
must  trust  a  higher  and  diviner  guidance,  so  that 
the  life  begins  with  thought  and  ends  with  faith, 

one  has   the   real  conception   of 
The  Religious      ^j^^  religious  character.     I  take 

it  that  the  child  in  the  home  lives 
heroically  when  it  lives  up  to  all  that  it  has  been 
taught,  and,  in  the  absence  of  guidance  from  that 
side,  lives  up,  in  the  next  place,  to  the  example 
of  its  parents,  its  teachers,  and  those  who  stand 
above  it  in  years  and  experience,  as  examples  of 
what  should  be  best  in  life.  And  so,  in  all  the 
years  of  our  growth  we  need,  not  merely  the 
heroic  moral  quality,  that  makes  us  do  the  best 
things  we  know,  but  also  the  higher  religious 
quality  that  makes  us  willing  to  be  led  in  the 
hours  when  our  own  thought  and  our  own  guid- 
ance fail  to  give  us  direction.     If  to  the  moral 


THE   SCOPE    OF    KKLIGIOUS    EDUCATION      333 

conception  of  life's  duty  we  add  the  acceptance 
of  a  divine  personality,  revealed  to  mankind  in 
some  form,  and  apprehended  as  God,  we  have 
the  religious  life  of  the  race. 

There  are  three  great  virtues  in  civilization. 
There  are  three  great  qualities  in  life  to  whicli 
every  one  of  us  should  be  dedicated.  There  arc- 
three  virtues  of  the  human  soul  that  every  indi- 
vidual should  strive  to  achieve.  And  to  the  ex- 
tent that  we  manifest  these,  live  them  in  the 
midst  of  our  fellows,  to  that  extent  may  we  be 
said  to  live  truly,  and  to  live  nobly. 

There  is,  first  of  all,  the  virtue  of  civilization, 
with  which  every  soul  should  be  invested.  The 
virtue  of  civilization  is  politeness.  Not  that  sur- 
face politeness  that  makes  a  man  act  a  part  in 
society,  but  that  genuine  polite- 

civUizat^on  "^^^  °^  ^^^*^  ^^^^^  which  makcs 
each  one  treat  each  other  as  if 
each  were  a  perfect  human  being ;  for  the  very 
genius  of  politeness  lies  in  the  fact  that  we  act 
to  every  man  as  if  he  were  perfect :  that  makes 
our  action  as  perfect  as  we  can  make  it.  And 
there  is  always  in  society  the  need  for  this.  We 
are  altogether  too  gruff,  altogether  too  harsh, 
altogether  too  uncivil — due  to  the  many  influ- 
ences at  work  upon  our  lives ;  and  we  need  con- 
scientiously, not  only  in  our  childhood,  but  in 
our  maturer  years,  to  be  taught  that  a  part  of  the 


334       THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

real  virtue  of  life  is  in  the  politeness  with  which 
we  meet  one  another,  and  in  the  courtesy 
with  which  we  come  in  touch  with  fellow-beings 
in  the  world.  No  system  of  education  that  has 
in  mind  the  development  of  the  higher  virtues 
of  the  religious  life  can  possibly  ignore  this 
fundamental  need  of  civilization  to  the  individ- 
ual ;  for,  in  a  very  appreciable  way,  the  objective 
measure  of  civilization  may  be  found  in  the 
changed  way  with  which  we  deal  with  one  an- 
other. The  rude  savage  knows  none  of  the 
courtesies  of  life.  His  code  is  harsh ;  his  doc- 
trine is  destructive ;  his  activity  is  selfish.  But, 
in  our  later  civilization,  we  have  overcome  in 
part,  and  we  need  to  overcome  in  a  larger  way, 
all  those  qualities  of  the  barbaric  spirit,  and  we 
need  to  incorporate  into  each  one  civilization's 
best  gift  to  us,  the  courtesy,  the  kindly  good 
will,  that  should  characterize  enlightened  human 
life. 

The  second  of  the  great  virtues  of  the  human 
soul  is  the   virtue   of   morality,   which    is    con- 
scientiousness, as  contrasted  with  the  virtue  of 
civilization,  which  is  politeness.    It  means  a  great 
deal  to  you,  and  it  means  a  great 

Moratity         ^^^^  *°  ^^'  **^  ^^.ve  around  us 
everywhere  people  who  are  liv- 
ing conscientiously ;  that  is  to  say,  who  put  their 
best  conscience,  their  most  honest  endeavor,  into 


THE   SCOPE   OF    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION     335 

every  service  that  life  places  upon  them.  To  be 
dependable  in  this  world  is  a  great  power;  and 
the  very  strength  and  fabric  of  our  modern  life 
rests  upon  the  fact  that  we  must  depend  one 
upon  another,  and  the  very  shame  and  ignoble- 
ness  of  our  modern  life  is  that,  all  too  frequently, 
we  do  not  find  in  our  fellow-men  that  conscien- 
tiousness which  enables  us,  with  confidence,  to 
rely  upon  them.  The  subordinate  is  not  always 
true  to  his  superior,  and  the  superior  is  not 
always  true  to  his  subordinate.  And  so,  in  all 
our  industrial  life,  there  are  frictions,  and  diffi- 
culties, and  turmoils,  because  the  virtue  of 
morality  has  not  been  incorporated  into  the  life 
of  each  one,  and  we  have  not  learned  that  a  part 
of  the  regal  business  of  the  soul  is  to  be  con- 
scientious in  every  phase  of  life,  and  in  the  per- 
formance of  every  duty  in  life. 

"  In  the  elder  days  of  Art, 

Builders   wrought   with   greatest   care 
Each  minute  and  unseen  part; 
For  the  Gods  see  everywhere." 

One's  conscience  ought  to  be  such  that  he  will 
do  every  service  of  life,  whether  it  is  seen  of  his 
fellow-men  or  seen  only  of  his  own  conscience, 
with  the  greatest  care,  knowing  that  his  own 
peace  of  mind,  his  own  self-respect,  his  own 
manhood,  can  never  grow  under  deceit,  or  under 


336      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

the  pretense  of  being,  in  the  appearances,  what 
he  is  not   in   the   reality   of  things.      What   we 

need     as     the     very     basis     of 
cr„fcirn«        friendship    in    Hfe    is    that  ab- 

sohite  truthfulness  of  character 
that  rings  sincere  to  the  very  core.  If 
we  have  a  friend  that  we  love,  we  place  in  that 
friend  absolute  confidence,  and  that  confidence 
depends  upon  the  conscientiousness  with  which 
our  friend  receives  all  our  kindly  offices  and 
friendly  aid.  The  broad  moral  activity  of  the 
race  is  figured  in  the  simple  words,  conscientious 
devotion  to  service,  and  the  performance  of  duty 
— truthfulness  in  all  the  relations  of  life.  For 
the  childhood  of  the  race,  above  all  the  intellec- 
tual gifts  of  the  sciences  and  the  arts,  there  is  this 
supremely  significant  thing;  for  it  is  better  that 
our  children,  under  our  educational  system, 
should  be  trained  to  be  thoroughly  conscientious, 
rather  than  to  be  thoroughly  bright  and  smart. 

The  third  of  the  great  virtues  of  the  human 
soul  is  the  virtue  of  the  religious  life,  which  ex- 
presses itself  in  the  word  humility.     No  one  can 

be   truly  noble,   heroic,  helpful, 
Reiizton  "^  *^^^^  world,  who  does  not  have 

a  humble  spirit,  who  has  not 
risen,  in  the  study  of  his  own  limitations,  to  the 
comprehension  of  the  fact  that  all  holy  service 
in  the  world  is  performed  by  the  soul  that  is 


THE   SCOPE   OF   RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION     33/ 

imbued  with  the  very  spirit  of  humility.  The 
loud,  the  blatant,  the  arrogant  man  is  always 
the  superficial,  the  never-to-be-trusted  man.  It 
is  the  quiet  doing  of  helpful  things,  so  that  one's 
right  hand  is  not  informed  of  what  one's  left 
hand  doeth,  that  makes  for  the  larger  and  better 
services  of  life.  The  best  things  that  we  do  are 
not  paraded  in  the  newspapers ;  they  are  not 
written  on  the  bill-board  of  the  theaters;  they 
are  not  displayed  in  the  public  advertisements  on 
the  walls  of  tumble-down  buildings ;  but  they  are 
the  quiet,  humble  services  of  the  undiscoverable 
heart  that  finds  its  joy  and  comfort  in  the  thought 
that  it  is  helpful  and  useful  to  another  in  this 
world. 

A  child,  coming  up  through  our  systems  of 
training  to-day,  needs  to  be  endowed  with  these 
great  virtues  of  the  human  soul,  to  the  end  that, 
when  he  walks  into  his  place  in  life,  he  shall  find 
this  place  demanding  of  him  the  exercise  of  these 
great  qualities  of  the  human  soul.  And  now,  if 
the  essence  of  human  greatness  is  in  some  way 
contained  in  the  thought  of  a  humble  and  contrite 
spirit,  that  is  willing  to  question  all  things,  to 
learn  from  all  sources,  to  analyze  all  problems, 
and  face  heroically  all  questions  of  duty  with  a 
humble  spirit,  then  one  is  prepared  to  study, 
with  some  degree  of  detail,  just  what  the  scope 
of  such  a  training  is. 


33'8  THE    MAKING    OF   A   TEACHER 

I  should  like  to  present  it  to  you  under  three 

aspects :  First  of  all,  the  theoretical  training  in  the 

religious  life.     Second,  the  practical  training  in 

SCO  e  of  ^^^  religious  life.  And,  third,  the 

Religious         absolute  training  in  the  religious 

Education  jj^^^      ^^^  ^j^^^^  ^j^^.^^  ^^^^^  ^^  ^^^^ 

to  be  distinct,  and  they  seem  to  be  comprehensive. 

By  the  theoretical  training  in  religious  thought 
and  conduct,  I  mean  the  informing  of  the  intel- 
lect with  all  that  sum  of  principles  that  shall  give 
us  intellectual  guidance  for  the  performance  of 
Theoretical  ^"^y.  I  mean  the  training  of 
Training  the  intellect  until  it  shall  know 
Defined  ^j^^  difference  between  the  right 

and  the  wrong,  the  true  and  the  false,  the  noble 
and  the  ignoble  things,  until  there  is  established 
within  each  one  a  clear  and  definite  theory  of 
conduct  and  duty,  so  that  one  has  at  least  a  ra- 
tional basis  for  the  acts  of  his  life.  Now,  this 
theoretical  informing  of  the  intellect  in  religious 
things  is  again  a  matter  which  passes,  in  the 
training  of  the  child,  through  three  distinct 
epochs. 

First  in  the  theoretical  training  of  the  intel- 
lect in  religious  things,  is  the  nutrition  of  the 
feeling-life  of  the  child — the  feeling  of  all  that 
keen  interest  of  childhood,  with  literature  as  the 
great  material :  the  stories  of  heroic  deeds,  of 
domestic,  of  civic  and  of  social  virtues — to  the  end 


THE   SCOPE    OF    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION     339 

that  the  child  shall  come  to  believe  in  the  great 
heroes  of  life.     The  biographical  quality  of  our 

early    religious    teaching    is    of 
First  Epoch       tremendous  significance.     It  is  a 

great  time  in  the  life  of  a  child 
when  it  erects  in  its  soul  a  great  character,  and 
tries  to  build  its  own  emotions  and  its  own  acts 
in  harmony  therewith. 

You  know  that  our  own  George  Washington 
has  been,  perhaps,  above  every  other  man,  a 
great  inspiration  to  the  childhood  of  the  country ; 
and  what  a  marvelous  thing  that  has  been  to  the 
childhood  of  this  race!  How  many  boys  have 
tried  to  be  like  that  great  boy,  and  how  we  have 
idolized  and  glorified  Washington's  character,  in 

order  that  it  might  build  itself 
^rnSr''     up  in  the  soul  of  the  boy!    And 

so,  in  the  life  of  a  child,  it  needs 
to  have  set  in  its  spirit  clearly  defined  characters 
that  it  shall  come  to  admire  and  strive  to  emu- 
late. 

The  very  earliest  ideals  that  a  child  emulates 
are  found  in  the  characters  of  the  father  and 
mother.  It  is  a  marvelous  thing  to  contemplate 
to  what  extent  all  that  you  and  I  become  in  this 
life  may  be  traced  directly  to  the  early  imitative 
activities  of  our  lives,  when  we  believed  our  par- 
ents and  our  school-teacher,  perhaps,  to  be  the 
embodiment  of  all  that  we  cared  to  be. 


340      THE  MAKING  OF  A  TEACHER 

I  know  a  child  in  Philadelphia  that  has  reached 
the  point  in  his  school  career  when  the  views  of 
the  teacher  have  become  the  guidance  of  that 
life;  and,  now  and  then,  when  the  parents  say 
something,  the  child  says,  "  Now,  that  cannot  be 
so,  for  Miss  So-and-So,  my  teacher,  says  it  is  the 
other  way."  There,  you  see,  the  child  is  moving 
out  to  a  new  hero.     And  it  is  a 

'^''EJa^mp^r  ^  ^  ^^tt\e  embarrassing,  sometimes, 
for  a  father  to  be  called  to  ac- 
count by  his  own  child,  to  see  the  teacher  en- 
throned in  the  child's  spirit ;  and  yet  it  is  most 
natural.  It  is  the  sign  of  a  great  teacher  when 
that  power  has  most  been  wrought  in  the  life  of 
a  child.  It  is  also  the  sign  of  a  great  responsi- 
bility, for,  when  the  child  tries  to  live  after  you, 
be  sure  that  you  are  living  in  the  light,  or  you 
will  lead  the  child  out  of  the  light. 

We  shall  add  light  with  the  fairy  story  and 
moral  tale.  The  Bible,  and  all  the  legendary  lore 
which  nourishes  the  feelings  of  a  child,  enter  the 
field  on  the  religious  side.  But  this  should  not 
be  the  end  of  the  training  of  the  mind,  for,  if  so, 
the  mind  rests  in  mysticism.  There  is  no  power 
to  organize  that  right  feeling,  and  stir  it  into  a 
definite  code  of  conduct. 

The  second  of  these  intellectual  disciplines  is 
the  nutrition  of  definition,  just  as  the  first  is  tfie 
nutrition  of  feeling.     By  the  nutrition  of  defini- 


THE   SCOPE   OF    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION     34 1 

tion  I  mean  the  training  of  tlie  imagination  to 
define  its  feelings — put  bounds    and    limits     to 

them.  In  the  larger  religious  life 
Second  Epoch      of  the  race,  that  activity  has  al- 

Avays  been  at  work,  and  its  ob- 
jectivity has  shown  itself  in  the  great  art  works 
of  the  religious  life  of  the  race.  Now,  if  the 
spirit  stops  with  the  mere  definition  of  its  feelings, 
the  mind  rests  in  idolatry.  The  ancient  civiliza- 
tions of  the  world  have  never  gone  beyond  the 
nutrition  of  definition,  and  their  idolatrous  peo- 
ple worshiped  the  images  in  which  they  objecti- 
fied their  own  religious  feeling,  and  have  rested 
content  with  wood  and  stone,  instead  of  pushing 
beyond  into  vital  contact  with  a  high  principle. 
Above  the  nutrition  of  definition,  and  beyond 
it,  in  the  theoretical  training  of  a  child  in  reli- 
gious things,  is  the  nutrition  of  insight,  by  means 
of  which,  through  the  rational  mind,  we  see  back 
of  the  mere  imagery  which  our  minds  have  cre- 
ated, and  come  into  close  and  vital  touch  with  the 

reality  which  stands  behind  all 
Third  Epoch       imagery,  and  which  is  in  spirit 

what  these  in  broken  parts  are 
but  the  material  representation  of.  To  realize 
unity  with  God  is  the  perfection  of  the  individual. 
The  nutrition  of  feeling  is  the  function  of  the 
home  and  the  primary  school :  the  nutrition  of 
definition  is  the  function  of  the  grammar  school ; 


342  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

and  the  nutrition  of  insight  is  the  function  of  the 
high-school,  the  college  and  the  university.  When 
our  feelings  have  been  trained,  our  imagination 
disciplined,  and  our   reasoning  power  cultured, 
we  have  completed  the  cycle  of  theoretical  equip- 
ment in    religious   things.     The   great   problem 
now  is,  how  to  build  that  splendid  intellectual 
possession  into  terms  of  conduct,  how  to  make 
all  that  the  mind  comprehends   as   duty  figure 
itself  in  deeds  of  helpfulness,  in  deeds  of  con- 
sistent conduct.      The    grades    of   the    Sunday- 
school  must  also  follow  this  order  of  soul  growth. 
That  brings  one  to  the  discussion  of  the  second, 
or  the  practical,  phase  of  religious  training,  by 
which  I  mean  the  informing  of  the  will,  so  that 
Practical         ^^  ^^^^^  work  out  in  daily  ser- 
Training         vicc,    in    daily    deeds,    in    daily 
Defined  conduct,  a  code  of  activities  in 

harmony  with  all  this  theoretical  training  of  the 
race,  and  of  the  mind.  To  the  Greek  we  owe 
the  fact  that  a  rational  basis  for  conduct  was 
estabhshed  for  the  human  race.  If  we  have 
nothing  more  than  a  rational  basis  for  conduct, 
we  are  theoretical  teachers  and  theoretical  peo- 
ple, but  if  we  can  convert  all  that  rational 
thought,  all  that  intellectual  discernment  of  duty 
into  terms  of  conduct,  then  we  have  moved  into 
the  will's  domain,  and  we  are  doing  that  which 
we  know  we  should  do. 


THE    SCOPE    OF    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION       343 

We  have  a  strangely  significant  fact  in  our 
public  school  system  to-day,  which  is  largely  an 
intellectualized  system  of  education,  and  which, 
in  its  inception  and  quality,  is  secular  through 
and  through,  and  increasingly  so,  I  regret  to  say. 
We  have  omitted  the  serious  discipline  of  the 
will  of  the  child  for  the  perform- 

wni*'E''ssent"Ii  ^^^c  of  high  moral  and  high  re- 
ligious service.  We  seem  to  be 
content,  as  a  nation,  when  our  children  have 
mastered  a  certain  curriculum  of  intellectual 
truth,  and  have  passed  a  reasonable  examination 
thereupon.  As  if,  somehow,  the  informing  of  the 
mind  with  truth  was  all  that  we  needed  for  right 
living  in  our  modern  civilization ;  when  all  of  us 
know,  if  we  have  but  a  moment's  sane  reflection 
upon  the  problem,  that  the  vital  need  is  not  the 
informing  of  the  mind  with  truth,  but  the  in- 
forming of  the  will  with  motive,  so  that  we  shall 
be  constrained  to  do,  when  we  know  what  to  do. 
When  human  life  stops  short  with  intellectual, 
instead  of  will,  problems,  that  moment  the  race 
ceases  to  become  effective  in  its  service  to  the 
future,  and  in  its  duty  to  its  children. 

For  almost  two  thousand  years  education  was 
under  the  control  of  the  church,  which  was  a 
highly  developed  dogmatic  and  religious  institu- 
tion. It  laid  upon  the  conscience  of  the  child  the 
axioms  of  the  church,  the  tenets  and  doctrines  of 


344  THE    MAKING   OF    A    TEACHER 

the  faith.  From  the  time  that  the  Roman 
schools  were  closed,  under  Theodosius  II,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  fifth  century,  until  the  latter 
half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  education  was 
dominantly  and  continuously  under  the  control 
of  religious  agencies  of  some  form  or  other.  But 
when  the  state,  under  the  theory  of  paternal  gov- 
ernment, took  the  little  child 
^Ch*urch''  from  the  church,  and  made  it 
an  object  of  concern  from  the 
state's  point  of  view,  instead  of  from  the  church's 
point  of  view,  we  lost  in  the  higher  and  broader 
side  of  the  discipline  of  the  child's  will.  To  com- 
pensate for  that,  have  been  substituted  Sunday- 
schools,  as  a  complementary  activity,  to  do,  side 
by  side  with  the  secular  school,  that  part  of  the 
discipline  of  the  child  which  the  secular  school, 
under  the  control  of  the  state,  has  failed  to  do. 

If  we  consider  for  a  minute,  we  shall  see  that 
this  is  true.    We  had  no  Sunday-schools  until  we 
had  state   systems   of   education.     The   Sunday- 
school  is  scarce  a  hundred  years  old  in  its  present 
organization.     Robert  Raikes  lived  only  a  little 
over  a  hundred  years  ago — he  who  first  practi- 
cally    set     in     operation      the 
Robert  Raikes      Sunday-school     movement.       It 
came    about    the    time    of    the 
American  Revolution  and  the  French  Revolution 
— about  the  time  of  the  great  unrest,  and  the 


THE   SCOPE    OF    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION       345 

dawn  of  democracy  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  Our  great  problem  to-day  in  civiUzation 
is  to  compel  action,  and  not  merely  to  acquire  the 
knowledge  of  what  is  best  to  do. 

There  are  also  three  phases  in  the  training  of 
the  will  in  practical  religious  conduct.  First,  the 
consecration  of  self  to  these  intellectual  ideals 
that  we  have  acquired.  I  do  not  believe  that  any 
one  is  religiously,  ethically,  or  even  morally, 
right;  I  do  not  believe  that  any  soul  lives  right 
in  this  world  to-day  from  any 
First  Phase  plane  that  you  choose  to  meas- 
ure from,  who  is  not  willing  to 
consecrate  all  of  himself  to  the  things  that  he 
believes  with  his  whole  soul.  Whatever  we  be- 
lieve, that  must  be  the  thing  to  which  all  our 
energies  must  be  consecrated.  If  we  believe  it  is 
our  duty  to  visit  the  sick  and  minister  to  the 
poor,  no  inclemency  of  the  weather,  and  no  ex- 
cuse of  any  sort,  no  palliation  of  conditions,  will 
break  our  heroic  determination  to  do  the  thing 
which  we  know  we  ought  to  do.  And  all  through 
one's  life,  the  first  great  vital  quality  of  religious 
conduct  lies  in  the  fact  that  a  man  consecrates 
himself  through  and  through  to  the  things  that 
he  believes,  and  is  living  well  up  to  the  standards 
of  the  best  that  is  in  him.  Unless  we  teach  our 
children  to  believe  in  these  great  truths  of  the 
race,  and  instruct  them  daily  to  achieve  them  in 


346  THE    MAKING    OF    A   TEACHER 

life,  we  have  fallen  short  in  the  discipline  of  the 
will,  and,  therefore,  in  preparation  for  the  actual 
religious  conditions  of  life. 

The  second  of  these  great  duties  that  comes 

from  the  will,  in  the  development  of  the  religious 

training  of  the  child,  is  the  reconciliation  of  the 

individual  with  his  lot.     I  do  not  mean  quietism, 

which  makes  a  man  go  into  the 

Second  Phase  cloister,  or  the  couvcut,  or  the 
hermit's  cell,  away  from  the 
world,  but  I  mean  that  resolution  which  brings 
peace  to  a  man's  mind  amidst  all  the  turmoil  and 
the  strife  of  a  busy  daily  experience.  For  it 
seems  to  me  that  we  need  so  to  discipline  our 
souls  that,  wherever  we  work,  in  the  midst  of 
what  untoward  conditions  we  find  ourselves,  we 
can  work  with  the  heroism  born  of  the  con- 
sciousness that  we  are  right,  and,  thus,  have 
peace  within. 

This  is  a  great  doctrine  for  the  human  soul  to 
consider.  But  it  does  not  mean  that  we  shall  be 
doggedly  content ;  it  does  not  stand  opposed  to 
high  aspiration,  to  the  bettering  of  one's  lot,  the 
widening  of  one's  usefulness,  the  intensifying  of 
one's  activities ;  but  it  means  that,  in  whatever 
place  we  find  ourselves  in  this  world,  we  can 
reconcile  ourselves  to  that  place,  and  work  there. 

A  teacher,  not  long  since,  said  to  me :  "  Oh, 
if  I  were  only  teaching  in  the  University !    Then 


THE   SCOPE    OF    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION       347 

I  should  be  happy.  But  I  am  teaching  out  here 
in  the  country,  where  I  am  not  appreciated, 
where  I  do  not  have  access  to  Hbraries,  where 
I  am  divorced  from  all  contact  with  intellectual 
people,  and  where  I  have  not  the  stimulation  and 
companionship  of  bright  minds.  Oh,  if  I  were 
only  in  the  city,  in  the  University,  then  I  should 
be  happy."    But  it  matters  not  whether  we  teach 

in   the   country   or   in   the   city, 
The  vital  Fact      whether  we  are  employed  in  the 

shop,  or  the  forge,  or  the  fac- 
tory; the  vital  thing  is  that  we  never  labor  well 
imtil  we  are  content  to  labor  there  with  all  our 
souls,  and  thus  fit  ourselves  to  labor  in  a  larger 
place.  No  one  grows  into  larger  usefulness  by 
fretting  against  his  lot  and  the  work  he  finds 
himself  called  upon  to  perform.  Whatever  our 
present  duty  may  be,  the  best  proof  that  we  are 
fitted  to  perform  a  larger  service  is  that  we  are 
performing  our  present  task  with  infinite  skill 
and  success.  We  need  to  put  before  our  chil- 
dren the  gospel  of  doing  daily  service  well ;  not 
half-heartedly,  and  therefore  imperfectly. 

The  third  of  these  trainings  of  the  will  consists 
in  giving  to  the  child  the  power,  and  in  exercis- 
ing the  power,  of  selecting,  out  of  the  many  con- 
flicting doctrines  and  teachings  of  the  race,  that 
which  is  best  for  him,  and  erecting  it  into  a  doc- 
trine and  bond  of  belief  which  shall  be  his  view- 


348  THE    MAKING    OF    A    TEACHER 

point  In  life.  For  none  of  us  can  live  our  best 
unless  we  live  consistently,  and  we  cannot  live 
consistently  until  we  have  settled 
Third  Phase  with  ourselves  the  things  we  be- 
lieve, and  standing  firmly  upon 
these,  live  right  out  from  them,  along  the  plain, 
straight,  unchanging  course  which  is  given  to  us, 
because  we  have  settled  in  our  own  souls  certain 
fundamental  things.  So  long  as  we  are  wander- 
ing, so  long  as  we  are  shifting,  so  long  as  we 
are  changing,  so  long  as  we  are  uncertain,  and 
willing  to  be  shaken  and  molded  and  modified  by 
every  influence  at  work  upon  our  lives,  we  have 
not  reached  the  point  where  we  can  hope  for  any 
large  growth  or  wide  usefulness  in  our  lives. 
This  means  that  Jesus  was  supremely  wise  in  the 
parable  of  the  shepherd  and  that  one  cannot 
realize  his  full  life  without  joining  a  religious 
organization.  For  us  this  means  the  Christian 
church. 

We  come,  finally,  to  consider  our  third  point, 

the  absolute  process  in  religious  culture.     That 

begins,  as  I  have  hinted  in  the  theoretical  process, 

in  accordance  with  natural  law ;  it  is  the  modi- 

,^    ,  ^  fying  of  the  human   soul  as  it 

Absolute  -       o 

Training         finds  itsclf  in  touch  with  natural 
Defined  things:  it  is  conformity  to  law. 

Herbert  Spencer  characterizes  it  as  the  adjust- 
ment of  the  human  being  to  his   scientific  en- 


THE   SCOPE    OF    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION       349 

vironment.    It  begins  with  yielding  obedience  and 
respect  to   the   inevitable   laws   fixed   in   things, 
and  against  which  it  is  foolishness  to  protest.  Life 
cannot  be  religiously  lived  save 
First  Need        as  it  is  lived  in  obedience  to  law 
as  set  by  Divine  Wisdom. 
In  the  second  place,  it  consists  in  studying  all 
the  codes  and  creeds  and  doctrines  of  history ;  it 
is  the  investigation  of  all  that  the 
Second  Need       race  has  done  in  its  efforts  to 
build  itself  up  into  a  higher  life. 
It  means  a  study  of  the  historic  forms  of  religious 
life  and   training.     In   its   full   realization  it  re- 
quires a  systematic  investigation  of  the  growth 
of  religious  ideals  in  the  race. 

And,  in  the  third  place,  it  means  picking  out 

of  all  these,  here  and  there,  the  things  that  are 

best  religiously ;   separating  the   false   from   the 

true,  weighing   all    the    evidence,    all   the    facts 

which  have  any  bearing,  from  the  wisdom  of  all 

the   great   souls   of  all   peoples, 

Pinal  Need        and    forming   all    that   accepted 

truth    into   a   bond    of   doctrine 

which  shall  become  the  creed  of  the  soul,  so  that 

it  shall  live  and  die,  by  reason  of  its  conviction, 

in  the  righteousness  of  that  creed. 

When  once  we  reach  that  point,  the  training  is 
done,  whether  intellectual,  or  moral,  or  ethical,  or 
religious,  or  whatever  it  may  be.     So  you  will 


350  THE   MAKING   OF   A   TEACHER 

see,  if  you  have  followed  the  discussion,  that  it 
terminates  in  one  thing.  There  was  first  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  intellect  in  theoretical  training; 
then  the  discipline  of  the  will  for  practical  ser- 
vice, and,  finally,  the  discipline 
^s!r^"ce'*  of  the  soul  to  absolute  stand- 
ards of  life,  and  then  the  appli- 
cation of  all  this  to  service — for  we  have  not 
reached,  to  any  appreciable  degree,  the  end  of  all 
high  training  until  we  have  learned  that  we  live 
best  when  we  live  least  for  ourselves  and  most 
for  others.  That  man  is  richest  in  soul  who  has 
given  most  to  enrich  other  souls ;  that  man  is  a 
beggar  in  his  spirit  who  has  never  done  kindly 
ministrations  to  his  fellow-men. 

As  I  said  not  long  since  to  a  group  of  boys, 
you  have  all  the  opportunity  of  being  heroes.  A 
boy  who  will  run  all  day  over  the  hills  of  Penn- 
sylvania to  shoot  a  rabbit,  and  then  sit  down  and 
eat  it  in  greedy  selfishness,  is  not  a  good  boy. 
The  boy  I  like  will  shoulder  his  gun  when  his 
neighbor  is  sick,  and  bring  back  to  the  one  in 
distress  the  food  and  comfort  that  his  body  and 
spirit  need.  It  is  the  service  we  render,  the 
kindly  spirit,  the  thoughtful  concern  for  the  wel- 
fare of  another  soul,  the  giving  of  the  cup  of 
water,  in  His  name,  that  makes  life  rich  and  the 
soul  strong. 


THE   SCOPE   OF    RELIGIOUS    EDUCATION      35 1 

Questions  and  Suggestions. 

For  testing  one's  grasp  of  the  subject,  and 
for  discussion  in  Teacher-Training  Classes. 

Has  Ruskin  stated  the  great  problems  of  life  correctly? 

What  constitutes  moral  activity? 

How  does  moral  character  differ  from  religious  char- 
acter ? 

What  are  the  three  great  virtues  of  life? 

Discuss  at  length  the  significance  of  politeness,  con- 
scientiousness, and  humility. 

What  are  the  different  aspects  of  the  training  necessary 
for  the  religious  life? 

In  what  way  may  a  course  of  study  be  formulated  upon 
the  theoretic  training  here  set  forth? 

Construct  on  the  basis  of  your  answer  to  these  ques- 
tions three  necessary  departments  in  a  school  of  religious 
instruction. 

In  practical  religious  training  what  three  purposes 
should  be  sought? 

When  may  the  child  be  said  to  have  completed  his 
training  in  religious  things? 

How  in  this  discussion  do  you  find  justification  for  the 
quality  in  human  souls  which  makes  martyrs? 

Does  this  discussion  justify  the  conclusion  that  life 
is  service  and  that  service  is  holy? 

THE  END. 


Date  Due 

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